Guwahati: Pharmacists, distributor held for supplying fake pacemaker in GMCH

GUWAHATI: City police on Monday arrested owners of two pharmacies, one manager and one medicine distributor in connection with supplying and selling duplicate pacemaker devices to an attendant of a cardiac patient on the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) premises.
The accused are identified as Bibhash Patowary (owner of Rodali Drugs), Zahangir Hussain (manager of Rodali Drugs), Purnoram Deka (owner- cum-manager of Zenifer Medicoz) and Gobind Podder (medicine distributor).
They have been booked under Sections 297, 420 and 406 of the IPC and sent behind bars.
A source in Bhangagarh police told TOI that two pharmacies were found involved in the case. “Rodali Drugs bought the duplicate pacemaker from Zenifer Medicoz and sold the device to an attendant of a cardiac patient admitted to the GMCH. We have arrested the owners of both the pharmacies, one manager and the suppliers.” Guwahati police commissioner Munna Prasad Gupta told the media that the Bhangagarh police busted the racket acting on a complaint lodged by the hospital authorities.
Police also suspect that the group is involved in supplying such duplicate pacemaker devices in other parts of the city. The hospital authorities lodged the complaint with police after recovering a duplicate pacemaker device at the operation theatre on Saturday.
GMCH principal Dr Achyut Baishya demanded strong action against the pharmacists. He said, “The matter came to light after Dr. Pranab Bhattacharya claimed it to be a duplicate pacemaker while operating a cardiac patient at the GMCH. We demand strict action against the culprits.” Denying the charge, the proprietor of the Rodali Drugs said they had bought the product from the distributor. “Our manager has already visited the distributor along with the bill. We are not involved in any act of duplicity. The product was procured from the distributor and accordingly, we sold it to the customer,” he said.