2 laboratory personnel arrested while black marketing Remdesivir injection for Rs 35K each; six injections recovered

Aurangabad, May 4:

The crime branch police have arrested two persons, while attempting to sell Remdesivir injection for Rs 35,000 from the Pundaliknagar area, on Monday night. The cops seized 6 injections from their possession. They confessed to buying them from a druggist in Parbhani.

The accused have been identified as Sandeep Appasaheb Chawali (21) and Gopal Hiralal Gangwe (19, both residents of Satara Parisar). Sandeep runs a pathology lab near Renukamata Temple in Satara Parisar, while Gopal is associated with another laboratory.

Taking advantage of the present shortage of Remdesivir injection, the duo started to sell the injection at throw-away prices. Acting on the tip-off, under the guidance of the assistant commissioner of police Ravindra Salokhe and police inspector Avinash Aghav, the crime branch team comprising API Manoj Shinde, head constable Santosh Sonawane, Bhagwan Shilote, Ritesh Jadhav, Vishal Patil, Anand Wahul, Rajkumar Suryawanshi, and Shingare laid a trap. The team through an informer contacted the Chawali, who then told the rate per injection is Rs 35,000 each. On learning about the need for two injections, he conditioned to pay cash on delivery. Later on, Chawali told the informer to reach near a sweetmeat shop on Pundaliknagar Road, with money, in the evening. The trap was laid with the help of the FDA's drug inspector Jeevan Jadhav. Chawali came and handed over the two injections. When the informer demanded two more injections, Chawali contacted Gangwe and called him at the spot with injections. As soon as the Gangwe took out the injections, the informer gave a signal and the crime branch police caught them red-handed. The police recovered six injections from their possession. They have been arrested and the case has been filed against them at Pundaliknagar police station.

Injections of government quota

It may be noted that out of the six injections, three injections are produced by a company for the state government. The injection box mentioned as not for sale. The police assume that the injections would have been stolen from a government hospital. Meanwhile, the duo confessed that they had purchased the injections by paying Rs 8,000 per injection to pharmaceutical agency owner Shelke in Parbhani. Hence, the PSI Vithal Chaskar's team immediately left for Parbhani to nab Shelke. The crime branch learnt that the agency owner had sold out the injections to many at high prices in the past.