Two, including a nurse, held for stealing Remdesivir from hospital and selling illegally

Two persons, including a 25-year-old nurse at a private hospital, have been arrested from Dwarka for allegedly stealing Remdesivir injections from the hospital and selling them illegally at high price.

DCP (Dwarka) Santosh Kumar Meena said, “We have arrested two persons identified as Priyanka (25), working as staff nurse in the Mata Roop Rani Maggo Hospital in Uttam Nagar for the last three years and her associate identified as Naveen Gulia (31), who was earlier working with the same hospital as a technician staff with a radiologist.”

Meena said their special team received information on April 28 that one person was selling Remdesivir injection in the Najafgarh area. “Our team verified the details and came to know about Priyanka. A trap was laid after sending decoy customers and both of them were arrested. Six Remdesivir injections were recovered from the possession of Priyanka and two from the possession of Naveen,” he added.

During questioning, Priyanka told the police that she was stealing injections from the hospital to earn quick money. “She roped in Naveen and asked him to sell the injections in the market. They initially sold at Rs 22,000 and are currently selling at Rs 35,000,” an officer said.

In a recent meeting, all the fifteen DCPs and units of the crime branch have been directed by their senior officers from Delhi Police Headquarters to take appropriate legal action against the black marketing of the drugs and ensure they are not sold at high prices.

“Police started reacting after they came to fore that there is a shortage of both the drugs and some chemists are selling at high prices. They are gathering information from their informers now against the black marketing of these drugs,” a senior police officer said.