Karachi police on Monday arrested four suspects and recovered a huge cache of surgical masks, which were apparently hoarded to be sold on higher prices amid the coronavirus outbreak scare in the country. According to the police, the protective equipment was recovered from the city's Kharadar area.

Police said that more than 20,000 masks were recovered from the suspects, adding that a case has been registered against the hoarders.

On Saturday, Sindh Rangers carried out a raid in the Gulshan-e-Iqbal locality in Karachi and recovered more than 70,000 surgical masks. The raid came a day after the Supreme Court ordered the government to crack down on hoarders. Price of surgical masks skyrocketed in Karachi last week, after two cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the country. Currently, there are four people under treatment for the coronavirus.

According to reports, masks had either disappeared from the medical stores in the city or were being sold at exorbitant prices across the metropolis. Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation has expressed satisfaction over the measures taken by the county's health authorities in order to stop the spread of the virus.

"I am impressed by the swift and diligent way, the government has handled the crisis so far," WHO's Pakistan representative Dr Palitha Mahipala said. He added the health organisation was committed to supporting the country every step of the way.

Mahipala added that the COVID-19 outbreak was a public health emergency of international concern and all countries neighbouring Pakistan like Iran, Afghanistan, China and India had registered at least one confirmed case of the virus.