CCB nabs manager for selling oxygen cylinders illegally

BENGALURU: Central Crime Branch sleuths on Friday raided the premises of Siga Gases Private Limited in Peenya Industrial Area and arrested the 36-year-old branch incharge for allegedly selling oxygen cylinders on the black market.  The accused, Ravi Kumar, is a resident of Peenya. He had joined the company 10 years ago. 

A senior police officer said that based on a tip-off, a CCB sleuth in mufti, approached Kumar seeking two gas cylinders and caught him red-handed when he tried to hand them the order after demanding Rs 6,000. Kumar was allegedly charging Rs 3,000 for a 47 litre cylinder, whereas the government rate for the same is just Rs 300. 

He had sold several cylinders for Rs 2,000 each in this manner last week. When the demand for cylinders rose, he inflated the price by Rs 1,000 more to make a quick buck. He had also approached some of his friends to sell cylinders, offering them a commission of Rs 500 each, if they provided any contacts. 

Kumar has been booked for cheating, under the Drug Control Act and Essential Commodities Act, and  
police have also seized his bank account to check his transaction details.

Illegal sale of Remdesivir: Three arrested
The Drug Control Department on Friday caught the owner, manager and pharmacist of a private hospital for allegedly trying to sell Remdesivir injections in black. Based on a complaint filed by Harish V R, drug inspector of the state intelligence unit of the Drug Control Department, Cottonpet police nabbed Dr Anupama (owner), Doddanna Goudappagol (pharmacist) and Mohan Kumar (manager). They were caught when they charged a customer Rs 5,750 each for three vials of Remdec (Remdesivir). The maximum selling price for a single vial is Rs 899 as fixed by the government, but they were selling it in black to make a huge profit, Harish stated in his complaint.