VIJAYAWADA: Krishna district police arrested a four-member gang, including two private hospital staff, for selling Remdesivir injections at inflated price in the black market in Machilipatnam on Tuesday.
Five Remdesivir (COVIFOR) vials and a car used for the transaction were seized from their possession.
According to Krishna district SP M Ravindranath Babu, the four accused were identified as Mattakoyya Saibabu (24), working as a general duty nurse in Andhra Hospitals in Vijayawada, Kurella Rukmini (29), a staff nurse in Andhra Hospitals main branch, Palaparthi Gopiraju (27) earlier worked in Vijayawada GGH on contract basis and currently, in search of employment and Markapudi Mohan Rao (46).
After seeing reports that the Remdesivir injections are not available in the market and are sold at higher prices between Rs 25,000 and Rs 40,000 each, the gang members decided to cash in on the situation and kept aside some injections meant for Covid-19 patients admitted to the hospitals.
Till now, they sold more than 10 vials at a cost of Rs 30,000 each. Acting on a tip-off that the accused indulged in illegal sale of Remdesivir injections, the special branch police laid a trap and nabbed the accused and seized five vials from their possession.
“A case has been booked against them under relevant sections of the IPC and the Disaster Management Act,” the SP said. He urged the public to bring such incidents to the notice of the police through Dial 100 to curb black marketing.