Rumours trigger panic buying of salt in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: Tension gripped the city late on Friday night after rumours
about a salt shortage spread like wildfire on social media and by word of
mouth even as residents rushed to kirana shops and began panic-buying
the essential commodity in large quantities.
The panic spread to newer parts of town also on Saturday with locals
either buying salt at almost thrice the price or returning home empty
handed.
People said that the rumour mills worked throughout the night. Taking
advantage of the rumours, some unscrupulous elements sold salt at as
much as four times the price in the city.
Syed Maseeh, a resident of Kalapather, said that as soon as he came to
know about the purported shortage, he instructed his brother to rush to the nearest kirana store to buy at least four kgs of salt.
“We bought salt at 70 per kg. It was much later that we got to know that it was a rumour,” he said.