Three arrested for hoarding, black-marketing Remdesivir, vital for COVID treatment

Bengaluru: Three people who hoarded Remdesivir injections, vital for COVID patients in critical stages, and were selling it for Rs 10,500 per vial have been arrested, a senior police officer said.

“With reports emerging about hoarding and black-marketing of Remdesivir injection required for Covid treatment, the Central Crime Branch conducted a drive across Bengaluru and arrested three people,” Bengaluru Joint Commissioner of Police Sandeep Patil said in a statement.

The accused are Rajesh and Shakeeb, who run Gurushree Medicals, and Sohail.

A case has been registered against them in Madiwala police station, Patil said adding, the accused were having illegal stock of the injection and selling them at Rs 10,500, much higher than MRP.

The action comes close on the heels of Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai issuing instruction to arrest those black-marketing and hoarding Remdesivir injections two days ago during a meeting with the senior police officials.

Many hospitals had recently complained of acute shortage of oxygen and Remdesivir in the market.

Swastik Hospital founder Dr Vijaya Raghava Reddy had also posted a video in the social media complaining about the shortage of oxygen in the city as the oxygen refilling units were supplying oxygen to industries rather than the hospitals.