CHANDIGARH: Haryana's law enforcement agencies on Tuesday busted a five-member international gang involved in selling drugs for COVID-19 treatment such as Remdesivir to Iraq.
The drug is priced at Rs 5,400 per vial in the city, but is said to be available in Iraq for as high as Rs 1 lakh. Similarly, Fabiflu, available at Rs 2,500 per strip, was allegedly sold in Iraq for Rs 8,000.
Another drug, Lopikast Vila, being sold at Rs 3,990 in India is available at Rs 15,000 in Iraq. In two separate raids, the Gurugram Drug Controller and the Flying Squad along with CIA officials, busted the drug cartel and seized Covid-19 drugs — Remdesivir, Fabiflu, Lopikast — and narcotics besides Rs 74 lakh in cash.
Five suspects, four Iraqi nationals and one woman from Uzbekistan have been arrested. Sources said the cartel accessed the passenger list bound for Iraq and planned to send the medicines in small batches through the Iraqi nationals.
The raids were conducted at two different residential premises at Aloha Gurgaon Group Housing, Sector 57 and House No. 478/P, Sector 47. In the first raid at Sector 57, two suspects -- Aws Raad Nealmah Al- Hendi and Akram Faiz, both Iraqi nationals – were arrested.
A case under NDPS Act, Drugs and Cosmetics Act and relevant Section of IPC was registered on the complaint of Drugs Control Officer Gurugram, Amandeep Chauhan.
In the second operation, two more Iraqi nationals and one woman from Uzbekistan were arrested. They had allegedly been stocking medicines used in the treatment of Covid-19: Remdesivir (48 vials), Fabiflu (55 strips), Lopikast (18 packs) along with the antibiotics, antacids, anti-allergic, antipyretic and medicines used in treatment of cancer and HIV. The three have been identified as Mohnnad, Othmana A Aeed, and Nilufar.