The state government on Friday launched a crackdown on the people hoarding salt and selling it at exorbitant rates, a day after rumour over its scarcity spread in the state.

Twenty-one persons were arrested for allegedly selling salt at exorbitant prices and 13 FIRs were lodged with different police stations. Five arrests were reported from Begusarai, four from West Champaran, three each from East Champaran, Jamui and Purnea, and one each from Patna, Nawada and Gopalganj.

Senior officials of the state on Friday held parleys with the Union salt commissioner, M.A. Ansari, and the assistant salt commissioner, Rajesh Nag. The latter was expected in the state on Friday evening to take stock of the situation.

The state food and consumer protection department’s principal secretary, Shishir Sinha, said the government had launched crackdowns to prevent hoardings and restore normal supply of salt across the state. “There is no scarcity of the commodity,” he said.

Sinha said 21 persons had been arrested on the charge of selling salt at exorbitant prices. “More arrests and seizure of stocks from the godowns of hoarders are likely,” he said, adding that instructions had been issued to initiate stern action against the rumourmongers.

Describing the rumour on the salt shortage a well-planned conspiracy, he said the rumourmongers would be identified and booked. “The police authorities of the affected districts are carrying out detailed probe into the source of the rumour,” he said, adding that a similar rumour had spread in Odisha earlier.

Sinha said stocks of salt had reached Bihar from the coastal areas of Odisha, Gujarat and Rajasthan. But he failed to furnish details. He also parried questions on the possible links of the arrested persons with any political party.

“I have my limitations. It is the job of the investigating officers (read police) to probe their links, if any,” he said.

On chief minister Nitish Kumar’s instant reaction, Sinha said he (the chief minister) immediately summoned the minister concerned, Shyam Rajak, and reviewed the situation.

He claimed that a publicity campaign about abundant availability of salt had been launched. “This is purely an artificial crisis and we have successfully overcome it now,” he added.

Apart from Nawada, where a group of people attacked a grocery shop in the heart of the town and fled with a few packets of salt, the situation was on Friday normal in most of the districts compared to on Thursday.

Teams of the Darbhanga district administration conducted raids on the outlets of various stockists but found nothing suspicious. District magistrate Kumar Ravi said there was no shortage of salt in the district.

A pro-active approach of the Muzaffarpur district administration has helped in bringing back the situation to normal as far as the salt price is concerned.

Things were normal on Friday at East Champaran, where salt was sold for Rs 150 per kg on Thursday.