Ahmedabad: After treatment, leftover remdesivir sold in black

AHMEDABAD: Ramol Police arrested four persons on Monday for allegedly trying to sell remdesivir injections at exorbitant rates of Rs 40,000 each. One of the accused persons had sourced the injections from a nursing staff, and sold it to the other accused at Rs 26,000 each, police said. The others in turn, charged about Rs 40,000 each from desperate relatives of Covid-19 patients.
Police said nursing staff have access to leftover injections in cases where patients die during treatment, or when they no longer require remdesivir.
According to protocol, the injections rendered extra are to be handed back to hospital management, but some nurses and other staff supply the leftover injections to the black market, police said. The involvement of other medical workers in the racket is being probed.
“Four vials of remdesivir were seized from them. They were selling the drug at a much higher price than its MRP,” said inspector K S Dave of Ramol police station.
Acting on a tip-off, police intercepted two persons, Shashank Jaiswal and Neel Jaiswal moving on a two-wheeler with the injections on Monday, about 3am. They said they worked in a pharmaceutical store.
On questioning, they told police that Vikas Ajmera, the owner of a medical store in Ramol had asked them to get the remdesivir injections from his friend Pravin Manvar of Tharad, who currently stays in Akbarnagar.
Police then arrested both Ajmera and Manvar, and booked all four under Sections 420 (cheating), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 114 (abettor present when offence is committed) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Essential Commodities Act and the Disaster Management Act.
The complaint in the case was filed by Ramol assistant sub-inspector Harendrasinh Anoopsinh.