The Crime Branch of Pune City Police has arrested five people in two different cases for black marketing of anti-viral drug Remdesivir used in COVID-19 treatment.
“During patrolling crime branch officials had received information about a person selling Remdesivir in Rs 18,000 per injection. Accordingly, a trap was set and the team of police officials arrested him. With his arrest, the involvement of three of his more associates including a driver who was working on a vehicle transporting medicines to civil hospitals was revealed,” the police said.
All four accused were arrested and a case was registered against them at Chandannagar Police station.
During prima facie investigation, it was revealed that the two Remdesivir injections recovered from their possession were taken from the civil hospital of Daund in Pune.
In another case, the accused had demanded Rs 10,000 per injection from the relative of the patient. “As soon as crime branch officials received this information, they set a trap and arrested the accused. A case has been registered at Loni Kand police station in this regard,” police added.
All five accused arrested in two different cases have been identified as Rohidas Gore, Imtiaz Ajmeri, Parvez Shaikh, Ashwin Solanki and Mohammad Mehboob Pathan.
Surjitt Sahani
