Two held for black marketing of Remdesivir in Vadodara

The Vadodara Police has arrested two men, including a doctor, for allegedly selling Remdesivir injections in the black marketing. The anti-viral drug is used in the treatment of Covid-19 patients and is currently under the government stock.

According to the police, the two accused were held by the Prevention of Crime Branch (PCB) of Vadodara City police in separate traps laid Saturday after the city’s Commissioner of Police Shamsher Singh gave them the directives for crackdown on black marketing of Remdesivir injections.

Police said they received a tip-off through an audio message on WhatsApp regarding the illicit sale of Remdesivir injections. In the first trap, an accused, Dhiren Nagora, a resident of Khodiyar Nagar in Vadodara, was held by a PCB team for allegedly selling the injection for Rs 7,500. The price of the drug has been capped at Rs 2,500 per vial currently.

“The accused is a doctor with Bachelor in Medical Science degree and has contacts with agents from whom he procures the injections and later sells them to needy patients at a higher price. We set up a trap at Ravpura Road in Vadodara and held the accused,” a statement issued by the PCB Vadodara read.

In the second case, Rahul Vanad, a native of Mahisagar employed as a male nurse in a Covid-19 designated Muslim Medical College, was caught selling Remdesivir injection, priced at Rs 5,400, for Rs 9,000.

“The accused, while working as a male nurse in the Covid hospital, had procured the injection from agents and was selling it to needy patients,” read the police statement.

Both the accused have been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 420 for fraud, 114 for offence committed when abettor present and sections of the Disaster Management Act, Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Essential Commodities Act.

Meanwhile, a raid was also conducted by the Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) late Sunday night on Dhruvi Pharma company in Gota area of Ahmedabad after allegations surfaced that the pharmaceutical company was hoarding life-saving injections required for Covid-19 treatment.

When contacted, senior officials of Ahmedabad DCB refused to comment stating that the raid was ongoing.