Itching Powder Gets Mumbai Eid Traders' Goat

A number of livestock traders were robbed of their lucrative Eid-ul-Adha takings after thieves threw itching powder over them at a Mumbai market, a newspaper report said on Wednesday.

The Daily News and Analysis said that several traders selling goats and sheep at the Deonar market were targeted in the run-up to the Muslim festival on Monday, which is marked by the ritual sacrifice of animals.

One trader was robbed of his bag containing 261,000 rupees ($5,250) when he was distracted by trying to scratch the all-over itch, the daily said.

"The accused... picked up the bag and jumped over the 10-feet (three-meter) boundary wall to escape," one eyewitness was quoted as saying.

The president of the All India Sheep and Goat Breeders and Dealers Association, Mohammad Aslam Quereshi, added that the offences "happened right in front of the police personnel".

Another trader said that several similar robberies had taken place at the market in the two weeks preceding Eid but had not been reported.

The DNA reported last week that soaring inflation and a series of fuel price hikes in India had led to a sharp rise in the cost of goats and sheep this Eid, with one goat selling for 400,000 rupees.