The governor reportedly authorized the use of force after merchants failed to respond to subpoenas from the ministry.

According to an official source, the names of more than 40 merchants were communicated to the governorate after they failed to respond to the Commerce Ministry’s attempts to contact them following reports that they had unjustifiably raised the prices of their commodities.

He said the ministry's special teams to check prices during the holy month of Ramadan discovered that a number of merchants had raised their prices beyond what was considered reasonable. He said the commodities included food, children’s toys, clothes and gifts.

Director of the ministry's branch in Madinah Khaled bin Ali Qumqumji said it was customary that when a merchant failed to respond to calls by the ministry his name would be communicated to the governorate, which would then order police to bring him in by force.

He declined to accuse merchants of refusing to comply with the law but said they might be careless or ignorant of the urgency to visit the ministry.

Prince Abdul Aziz had recently ordered the establishment of a special committee comprising representatives of the governorate, the municipality and the Commerce Ministry to regulate prices.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah had directed all provincial governors in 2008 to closely watch prices and to submit periodic reports.

The governors discussed the issue in a recent meeting chaired by Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Prince Naif, who warned merchants against inflating prices.

Many consumers claim that prices of some goods increased by 100 percent over a few years, while their wages have not increased proportionately.