Chennai, May 16 (UNI) Five more people, including two in Southern
Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu, were arrested for selling Remdesivir
injection, used for treating COVID patients, in blackmarket at higher
prices.
In Tuticorin, police seized 42 Remdesivir vials from the duo and the
district police is conemplating to detain them under the Goondas
Act as suggested by Chief Minister M K Stalin, who had termed
selling the drug at higher prices in blackmarket as a serious offence,
especially during the pandemic.
The other three arrests were made at upmarket Indira Nagar area
in Chennai on Sunday from whom two bottles were seized.
Yesterday, 24 people were arrested and 243 Remdesivir injections
were seized from them in Chennai.
Earlier, six people, including two from Chennai, were nabbed on
Friday.
With this 35 people, including 29 in Chennai were so far arrested
in this connection during the last 2-3 days in the State.
Reports received here from Tuticorin said, acting on information
that a wholesale drug store in a complex was selling Remdesivir
at higher rates, a special police team headed by Kovilpatti Deputy
Superintendent of Police Kalaikadiavan and Health department
deputy director Dr Anitha raided the place and seized 42 vials.
The shop owner Shanmugam and his brother Ganesan were
arrested and they are expected to be detained under Goondas
Act.
In Chennai, a special team attached to the office of the Adyar
Deputy Commissioner of Police arrested three persons for selling
the drug worth Rs 800 for Rs 25,000 to prospective online clients
and seized two bottles from them, besides Rs 89,000 in cash.
Those arrested were Adithyan, a medicine salesman from K.K. Nagar,
Rajkumar who runs a pharmacy in Pattalam and Syed Amjed, who
works in a medical shop in Thousand Lights area.
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