PCMC police and FDA busted blackmarketing of Remdesivir injection
Prachi Bari
A black marketing racket of the anti viral Remdesivir injection was busted at the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) run COVID care centre in Baner in a joint operation held by officials of the Pimpri Chinchwad Police and Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
With shortage of these injections in the fortnight, the demand has increased three fold and relatives are seen running pillar to post to acquire these injections that has led to it being sold at a higher price even in medical stores.
This anti-viral Remdesivir injection is required for the treatment of Coronavirus disease (COVID19) positive patients whose condition is serious. These injections were being sold at the price of Rs 11000 to 15000, which is three times more than the government price of Rs 1100 to 1400.
“We got a tip off from a source of this racket and accordingly, a joint team was formed with FDA staff and a trap was laid in Sangvi on 9 April 2021. We have seized three injections that were smuggled from PMC s COVID Care Centre located in Baner. The accused Aditya Deepak Mendergi (24) of Pimpri informed the decoy customer of having possession of two injections at a price of Rs 22,000. He was arrested while selling the injections near Katepuram chowk in Sangvi”, said Krishna Prakash, Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissioner.
It was found during further investigation, that the accused had another person involved, Pratap Sunil Jadhav (24) of Talegaon Dabhade, who had one more injection which was seized by the police.
Jadhav informed that he took the injections from Ajay Gurudev Morale (27) who works as a helper/ male nurse at Medipoint Hospital in Aundh. Morale was picked up and he led the police to the source of injections , Murlidhar Subhash Marutkar (24), who was working at the Covid Care Centre in Baner.
“Marutkar had illegally procured the injections and had given for selling at exorbitant prices without any prescription”, said DCP (Crime Branch) Sudhir Hiremath.
Based on a complaint from FDA inspector Bhagyashree Yadav, an FIR has been registered against the accused persons at the Sangvi police station.
They have been charged for offences under sections 420 (cheating), 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order 2013, Essential Commodity Act and Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940.
