Mumbai: Fraudsters dupe citizens on pretext of selling Covid drugs at cheaper rates

At a time when people are taking to various social media platforms to amplify SOS alerts in order to avail emergency medical help for needy Covid-19 patients, some are taking advantage of the ongoing crisis

At a time when people are taking to various social media platforms to amplify SOS alerts in order to avail emergency medical help for needy Covid-19 patients, some are taking advantage of the ongoing crisis.

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The Maharashtra cyber police has launched a probe against some of such elements and registered an FIR (first information report) against unidentified cyber fraudsters who posed as representatives of pharma giant Cipla on social media and duped dozens of people across the country under the pretext of selling Remdesivir and Tocilizumab – two drugs used to treat Covid-19 – at cheaper rates.

Cipla, which manufactures and distributes the two drugs in India, approached the Maharashtra cyber police with the complaint on Wednesday.

“The company has provided the contact numbers of 38 individuals suspected to be involved in the racket and also details of 40 bank accounts belonging to them, to the police. The accounts are based in New Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal The cyber police started freezing these accounts on Thursday,” said an officer.

The racket came to light after the company’s corporate communications team received complaints from the relatives of Covid-19 patients claiming that its representatives had cheated them under the pretext of selling the medicines.

Cipla’s manager Vrajesh Bajaj in his complaint stated that the “aggrieved people” informed his company that few people posted mobile numbers on various WhatsApp groups and social media platforms posing as ‘authorised’ dealers of the pharma company. When patients’ relatives contacted on the given phone numbers, the suspects would convey that the injections would be made available on the payment of 50% advance via online transaction. The rest of amount can be paid during the delivery of the drugs, the police said.

The company’s corporate communication team was flooded with calls in which many people complained that after receiving the advance money, the suspects stopped responding to calls. Some also said they had received water and fake drugs which displayed the complainant’s company’s name and logo. Many citizens also complained on social media tagging the pharma company.

The Maharashtra cyber police then initiated its investigation.

“We would soon zero down on the suspects. Details of beneficiary accounts are also being obtained. The investigation is in progress,” said Yashasvi Yadav, inspector general of state cyber police.

The police have registered an FIR under the relevant sections of the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Trademarks Act, 1999, and Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

The Union health ministry has directed that the supply of Remdesivir and Tocilizumab can only be through authorised government and private hospitals and that no individual, distributor or retailer can sell these drugs to the public.