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Pune: 8 Remdesivir black marketeers nabbed over two days
In one case, a nurse from a Covid centre in Hadapsar was found helping a pharmacist who was arrested on Thursday by Pune city police.
In three different actions by the police in Pune district in the past two days, nine people have been arrested and 14 doses of the experimental Covid-19 treatment drug have been recovered collectively by Pune city and Pune rural police.
In one case, a nurse from a Covid centre in Hadapsar was found helping a pharmacist who was arrested on Thursday by Pune city police.
The nurse was identified as Ribika Vairagar (35), a resident of Pisoli and working at a Covid hospital in Hadapsar while the pharmacist, arrested earlier, was identified as Ankit Vinod Solanki (26) who works in a pharmacy attached to a hospital in Kondhwa.
“It started with them selling the doses that were left over from the patients who had succumbed to the infection but as the demand increased, the cost also increased and the nurse started stealing the injections, from our primary investigation. As per their statement, they have sold 70-80 injections in the past month or so at fluctuating rates,” said Namrata Patil, deputy commissioner of police, Zone-5 of Pune police.
While three injections were found from Solanki during his arrest, the woman was found in possession of four more.
The police found a link to the woman while investigating Solanki’s source of Remdesivir. The nurse allegedly stole the injections which were procured either by the relatives and the hospital that employed her for patients.
In the second case, four people were arrested for selling Remdesivir injection on the black market in Pune on Friday. The accused were selling the experimental drug used for treatment of Covid-19 for ₹37,000 per injection. One vial was recovered from them.
The four were identified as Nikita Gopal Tale (25), a resident of Mahatma Phule nagar in Bhosari MIDC; Rahul Balasaheb Valunj (27) and his younger brother Rohan (20) both residents of Chaphekar Chowk in Chinchwad; and Pratik Gajanan Bhore (26), a resident of Anusaya Park in Pune. The four are in police custody until Monday.
“Rahul is an engineer who works in the robotics field. He had gained access to the injection. We are investigating how he got it. Bhore and Tale are in the marketing field and work for a business card printing company,” said senior police inspector Mahendra Jagtap of Unit 2 of Pune police.
In dual action by the Pune rural police, three people were arrested for selling Remdesivir on the black market and recovered 6 vials of the drug from two separate cases on Saturday. While one action was in Daund, the other was in Narayangaon area of Junnar.
The ones arrested in Daund were identified as Akshay Rajesh Sonawane ((24) a resident of Gandhi chowk area of Daund and Suraj Sajay Sable (23) a resident of Shalimar Chowk area of Daund. The two were selling one dose for ₹32,000 and were found in possession three vials, according to a statement issued by the Local crime branch of Pune rural police.
In the second case, in Junnar, one man was found selling one vial of the drug for ₹45,000 each. The man was identified as Rohan Shekhar Ganeshkar (29) a resident of Alephata area of Junnar, was found in possession of three vials of the drug.
In all the cases, various laws including Indian Penal Code, DPCO 2013, Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940, and Essential Commodities Act was registered at three different police stations.
