Four held for selling fake Remdesivir in Pune

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Pune rural police have arrested four persons for allegedly selling fake Remdesivir injections in Baramati area, an official said on Saturday.

Three injection vials labelled as Remdesivir, which is used for the treatment of COVID-19, but actually filled with nothing but paracetamol in liquid form were seized from them, said the senior police official.

The accused were selling the fake drug at Rs 35,000 per vial while its authorized market price is around Rs 1,100.

"We have arrested four people under relevant sections of the IPC, Essential Commodities Act, Drug & Cosmetics Act and Drugs (Price Control) Act," said Narayan Shirgavkar, deputy superintendent of police, Baramati division.

After receiving a tip-off about black-marketing of Remdesivir which is in great demand, a decoy customer was sent and two persons who were offering to sell it were arrested from Baramati MIDC area, he said.

They were identified as Prashant Gharat and Shankar Bhise. Their questioning led to the arrest of Dilip Gaikwad and Sandip Gaikwad.

Sandip, who had worked as ward boy at various hospitals, procured used Remdesivir vials and filled them with liquid form of paracetamol while others found needy customers, the police officer said

Three fake Remdesivir doses were seized from the accused persons' possession. Shirgavkar said the police were probing whom they had sold fake drug vials. The action was a joint operation with the Food & Drug Administration, he added.

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