Gang illegally sells Remdesivir, stocks up fake vials

In two separate cases, Sanjaynagar police have arrested a four-member gang that sold the drug Remdesivir in black and for selling fake Remdesivir vials.

In one case, a doctor and a housekeeping staff of a hospital have been arrested, while three hospital staff have been held in another case.

On May 12, police inspector Kathyayini Alva and sub-inspector Lokesh K H got information about the illegal sale of the anti-viral drug, used to treat severe cases of Covid-19, near RMV Hospital.

Around 10 pm, they rushed to the spot in the guise of purchasing the vials and found Krishna, 31, the housekeeping staff manager of Venkateshwara Hospital who attempted to sell Remdesivir to attenders of patients.

Krishna confessed that Dr Sagar C J, 38, who works with Mathru Hospital, gave him the vials to sell for Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 each.

Instead of giving the 10 Remdesivir vials he received from the drug controller to patients, Dr Sagar pocketed two of them and gave them to Krishna. He had sold four vials through Krishna.

Police seized two Remdesivir vials, a bike and mobile phone from the accused. The other eight vials have been returned to the hospital after verification that the patients would require them.

Vials filled with saline

In another case, police arrested Ravi Kumar, 36, and Muniraju N, 30, besides Krishna who is also accused in the first case.

Police learnt that Kumar and Muniraju were selling fake Remdesivir vials filled with natural saline. They went in the guise of purchasers and asked for five Remdesivir vials. The duo agreed to sell them two for Rs 30,000 each.

When police met them, the duo had 10 fake Remdesivir vials and they kept receiving calls from doctors and patient attendants from various hospitals. Police seized all the vials from them.

Ravi worked as a ward boy in various hospitals, while Muniraju was a marketing manager with a hospital.