A seven-member gang, allegedly involved in sale of the Remdesivir injections in black market was arrested by the Patamata police on Tuesday. Four injections, including two expiry doses and a cash of ₹2.32 lakh was recovered from them.
The accused have been identified as natives of Krishna district, who worked as medical distributors and representatives for a private company. Police are trying to trace a few others involved in the racket, said the Police Commissioner B. Srinivasulu.
The Central Zone Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Y. Srinivas Reddy said a police team led by Patamata inspector R. Suresh Reddy, arrested medical distributor Sinavath and medical representatives Srinivas, Mohan Krishna, Anantha Reddy, Raju, Tharun and Naresh.
The police said the accused supplied two injections of Remdesivir to one G. Hitesh Kumar of Mangalagiri, who needed them for his father, in Guntur district and charged ₹70,000.
But when the buyer realised that the medicine date had expired, he returned the vials to the accused who reportedly did not return any amount to him. Instead, they sold two more injections and charged another ₹1.4 lakh from him.
“An investigation revealed that an ANM from Guntur district had given them the Remdesivir injections with expiry dates. We are trying to find out whether the gang had links to any hospitals or pharmacies and if any other gangs were involved in the malpractice,” the Police Commissioner told The Hindu.
Cases have been registered against the accused under Section 420 IPC (Cheating) and Section 3 of Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, the ACP said.
