Vadodara: Investigations into the racket of selling remdesivir drug for a premium revealed that the accused had sold over 50 bottles within a month. The prevention of crime branch (PCB) sleuths said that they detained two more persons, Krunal Patel and Jignesh Patel, in connection with the racket.
“Krunal works for a private hospital and Jignesh works in medical staff of a private engineering firm. The accused duo used to sell remdesivir drugs in the black market. They were in touch with the other two accused Dr Dhiren Nagora and Rahul Valand,” said J J Patel, PCB police inspector said.
“The gang has sold about 50 remdesivir vials within a month as demand for the drug was very high. They used to tamper with the medical prescriptions of the patients to get more drugs from the medical stores. But we are investigating how they got hold of so many bottles,” Patel added.
The police said that the gang also used to buy the drugs in the black market and then sell them at an even higher price to the needy. PCB had busted the racket on Sunday after it arrested Nagora by setting a trap. The cops had sent a decoy customer to buy remdesivir from Nagora after fixing a meeting with him in Raopura.
The police seized one bottle of remdesivir from Nagora who led them to another accused Valand. Both Nagora and Valand knew each other as they had worked together in a private hospital. They joined hands and began selling these injections in the open market for Rs 7,500 to Rs 9,000 apiece. The police is trying to ascertain if any more persons are involved in the racket.
Drug siphoned from export stock
The cops visited Ahmedabad-based company whose remdesivir was seized from one of the accused. “The company makes the drug but it exports the entire stock. The drug must have been siphoned from the supply chain and made its way to the black market. We are questioning the accused about it,” said J J Patel, PCB police inspector.