Three docs among 11 arrested for illegal sale of Remdesivir

Three docs among 11 arrested for illegal sale of Remdesivir

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:01.05.2021

As many as 11 city healthcare workers including three doctors were arrested in the past 24 hours for selling Remdesivir at an excess price in the black market. Initial investigations by police revealed that they either imported the drug from Bangladesh or sourced it from the government and private hospitals they worked in and the exclusive counter at Kilpauk Medical College (KMC) Hospital.

TOI on April 23 reported how sale of the drug was flourishing in the city’s black market, with people paying up ₹14,000 per vial. Based on the report, Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies CID unit started cracking the whip by conducting inspections across the state. On Thursday, a team lead by S Santhi, superintendent of police (SP) from the special unit, arrested Dr Mohammed Imran from Tambaram along with three others. One of them, Vignesh, a temporary medical staff at the Tiruvannamalai Government Medical College Hospital, sourced the drug from the GH and handed it over to Imran, who sold it for ₹20,000 per vial.

On Friday, the police team arrested another doctor, 28-year-old Deepan from Pallikaranai, and seized six vials from him. Hours later, the team nabbed Joseph Kinsley, 41, a pharma vendor from Pallavaram, for selling imported stock of the drug at ₹12,500 a vial. Police also set up two traps based on specific tips and arrested Karthikeyan, 33, a pharmacy assistant from Mint Street, for procuring Remdesivir from KMC counters using forged medical certificates and selling it in black. His aid Jano is absconding. In the second case, physiotherapist Saambasivam, 46, and nurse Raman, 29, were arrested for the same offence. All have been booked underthe Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and various other sections of the Indian Penal Code.