LUCKNOW: A gang selling adulterated blood to several medical centres in Lucknow has been busted by Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) here on Friday. Five people, including two technicians associated with a blood bank, were arrested by the STF after conducting raids on a number of hospitals in the city.
As per STF sources, the mastermind of the gang, Naseem used to mix saline water and other chemicals in the blood donated by poor people and drug addicts. Then those units were marked with labels of reputed blood banks and hospitals and sold to unsuspecting relatives of people admitted to reputed hospitals.
The STF sources claimed that the racket had been operating in Madiaon area of Lucknow for some time. The STF team, led by Deputy SP Amit Nagar, did a recce of the blood banks and hospitals for 15 days. After gathering substantial evidence, the team raided the hospitals and nabbed the racketeers.
The police sources add that the gang members used to collect blood from daily wage labourers, rickshaw pullers and beggars for as little as Rs 1,000-Rs 1,200 per unit, used to package it after diluting it with saline water and adding chemicals to it before selling it to the attendants of patients and even to some hospital showing forged blood donation forms at Rs 3,500 per unit.
The accused who were arrested from a fake medical facility had no medical degree or qualification in this regard. They were carrying out their operations themselves. The whole operation was being conducted without any professional medical. In fact, the arrested people have only studied till the intermediate level.
The police handed over the probe to STF after getting a number of complaints about adulterated blood in circulation at medical centres in Lucknow. Following the trail, the UP STF also raided two blood banks in the city.
Reports suggest that the raids by the UP STF were confidential as not even the local police were aware of the raids. More people may be arrested in the case, said the STF official