Coronavirus: Remdesivir Injection Sold For Rs 10,000 To 18,000 In Black Market, Pune Police Arrest Seven Persons

Mubarak Ansari

Pune, 15th April 2021: The sleuths from the Crime Branch of Pune city police have arrested seven persons till now for black marketing of Remdesivir injection, which is needed for treatment of serious Coronavirus disease (COVID19) patients.

Though the government has capped the price from Rs 1100-1400, due to huge demand it is being sold for thousands of rupees. The district collector has banned the retail sale of the injection and only hospitals have been authorised to provide the injection to patients at a government rate.

Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta has instructed all police stations and Crime Branch units to take preventive measures to prevent the black marketing of Remdesivir injection. He has appealed to the citizens to contact the Pune City Police immediately if they come to know about the black marketing of Remdisivir injections.

On April 14 (Wednesday), Head Constable Ramzan Shaikh of Crime Branch Unit 4 received information that Rohidas Banaji Gore of Wagholi is selling one Remdesivir injection for Rs 10,000. With the help of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a dummy customer was sent to buy the injection. Gore was caught selling the injection and police recovered two vial (bottle) from his possession.

Based on a complaint from FDA Drug Inspector Shrutika Jadhav, an FIR was registered against Gore at Lonikand police station. He has been charged for offences under section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), relevant sections of the Drug Price Control Order 2013, Essential Commodities Act and Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

In the second action, acting on a tip-off received by Head Constable Rupesh Waghmare of Crime Branch Unit-4, police have arrested Mohammad Mehboob Pathan (28) of Daund for selling one Remdesivir injection for Rs 18,000 near Dmello petrol pump on Nagar Road. Police seized two vial which are marked ‘For use of GOVT. Of Maharashtra Not for sale’. Later police arrested Pathan’s three accomplices Imtiaz Yusuf Ajmeri (52) of Kharadi, Parvez Moinuddin Sheikh (36) of Daund and Ashwin Vijay Solanki (41) of Yerwada.

According to police, a preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused had obtained the injections from Daund to sell at a higher price in the black market for their financial gain. A case has been registered against the accused persons at Chandannagar police station on a complaint lodged by Dinesh Khinvasara, Drug Inspector, FDA, Pune.

Earlier Crime Branch Unit 1 officials had arrested two persons including a nurse and seized one vial of Remdesivir on April 11. An FIR is registered at Bharati Vidyapeeth police station in this regard.

On April 12, Crime Branch Unit-3 sleuths had seized two vials of the injection and a case was registered at Khadak Police Station.

The action was taken under the guidance of Additional Commissioner of Police Ashok Morale, DCP (Crime) Srinivas Ghadge, ACP (Crime-2) Laxman Borate and Senior Police Inspector Rajnish Nirmal and police officers and staff from the unit.

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