VIJAYAWADA: West Godavari police have busted a 10-member gang selling Remdesivir in black market. They recovered 42 vials, including 15 expired ones, and Rs 1.45 lakh cash from them on Wednesday.
According to Eluru DSP Dileep Kumar, all the 10 accused are from the district and working in various wings of Alluri Sitarama Raju Academy of Medical Sciences (ASRAM) Covid-19 hospital and other private hospitals.
Based on a complaint filed by ASRAM Hospital management that Remdesivir vials meant for Covid-19 patients have gone missing from the ward, Eluru DSP Dileep Kumar took the issue seriously and launched Operation Remdesivir Drug (Operation RD). He formed a team comprising Eluru Rural CI A Srinivas Rao, SI Suresh, Drug Inspector Abid Ali Shaikh among others. The team nabbed the accused red-handed, while selling the vials and seized them from their possession.
During investigation, the police found that the accused working in ASRAM Hospital in different shifts managed to procure Remdesivir vials instead of administering them to patients and reportedly sold the drug between Rs 25,000 and Rs 40,000 per vial. A case has been booked against the accused. They were produced in a court, which sent them to judicial remand for two weeks.