Chennai: At a time when people were running from pillar to post to get the key drug Remdesivir for treating Covid-19 infected patients, four people, including a doctor and a government hospital staff were arrested for illegally stocking the drug for selling it in the black market.
Acing on information that a gang, including a doctor and his associates were stocking the drug illegally, a special team of police personnel led by Superintendent of Police Civil Supplies CID Santhi nabbed two persons operating clandestinely in a car near a private hospital in Chennai.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Mohammed Imran Khan (25) who has finished MBBS recently and his friend Vijay, who was his schoolmate and a fruit seller, procured Remdesivir drug from Vignesh, working at a Government Hospital in Tiruvannamalai for Rs 8,000, though its maximum retail price was Rs 4,808.
While they were planning to sell it for Rs 20,000 in the black market, they were arrested and handed over to the Tambaram police for further investigations, leading to the arrest of one more person.
A total of 17 remdesivir vials were seized from them.
Cases were registered against them under sections 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 270 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and under the
provisions of the National Disaster Management Act, Epidemic Diseases Act and Essential Commodities Act.
Those arrested were Imran Khan, his associates Vijay, Rajkumar of Tiruttani and Vignesh of Tiruvannamalai.