Kanpur: A Rs 16 flash sale created a law-and-order problem in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur, as residents rushed to Rais Alam’s shop after he announced that the offer was live for just 16 minutes.
Rais Alam owns a hosiery shop in Alam Market, in the Anwarganj locality. He announced the sale at 11:59 pm on the occasion of his son’s birthday on August 15.
The shop owner posted a video on social media stating that customers could come to his shop and purchase anything- suits, jeans, shirts, and other ready-made clothing items for Rs 16. However, Alam made it clear that the sale would end in 16 minutes.
The video had reached thousands within minutes. Long queues formed outside his store, with around 3,000-4,000 people rushing to get inside.
Some particularly impatient individuals tried pushing others to get inside first, creating a stampede-like situation near Alam Market.
Seeing the rush, Rais Alam locked his store and fled the scene, placing his brother near the shop entrance. The police reached the site soon after receiving information on the large crowd gathering in the area.
Officers from Anwarganj and Begumganj police stations arrived along with Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Manjay Singh. Officials tried to bring the crowd under control using loudspeakers and batons. After considerable effort, the crowd calmed down.
Finding Alam’s brother outside the shop, police took him to the police station for questioning. The ACP told local media that Alam’s Rs 16 sale on the occasion of his son’s birthday had attracted a large crowd. The crowd gathered without permission, creating a law-and-order issue, said ACP Singh. He said action will be taken against the shop owner under the law.
Videos from the scene show a large number of people running towards the shop, likely trying to get the clothing items at such a low price.
Follow on Twitter | Edited by Khadija Irfan Rahim | 
