Maharashtra: 4 arrested for selling paracetamol in Remdesivir bottle, 1 vial sold for Rs 35,000

New Delhi: At a time when Maharashtra is in the grip of severe outbreak of Coronavirus, a gang of 4 were nabbed in Baramati (Pune) for selling Remdesivir injection vials filled with Paracetamol liquids.

The accused persons used to fill empty vials of Remdesivir with paracetamol liquid and sold it at exorbitant prices and raked a moolah. Remdesivir is an anti-viral drug that is used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients who are in severe and critical condition.

Pune Police arrested 4 accused in the case namely dilip Dnyandev Gaikwad, Shankar Dada Bhise, Siddheshwar Gharat, Sandip Sanjay Gaikwad. All of them are said to be in their early 20s and 30s.

According to a leading daily, 1 of these persons was engaged with a few hospitals in Baramati. He used to collect empty bottles from there.

Maharashtra | 4 people arrested for selling fake Remdesivir injections in Baramati.

3 injections were recovered from their possession. The injections, labelled as Remdesivir, were filled with paracetamol in liquid form: Narayan Shirgaonkar, Deputy SP, Pune rural (17.04) pic.twitter.com/IZN47KjolW

— ANI (@ANI) April 18, 2021

The gang used to refill the bottle with Paracetamol liquid and pack it such that it would look original. Then these artificial Remediesvir injections were sold in black market for Rs 35,000 to patients.

Seals of Remdesivir vials were apparently tampered and carried holes. A probe revealed that accused Sandip was allegedly filling Paracetamol liquids in vacant Remdesivir vials and then handed these over to Dilip. Police said Dilip further sold these vials to people as Remdesivir injections at very high prices with the help of the other two accused, reported a leading daily.

Twitter abuzz with accused’s alleged link with NCP, Pawar family

The culprits have been rightly booked for the corrupt practices during pandemic. However, a couple of Twitter users claimed that Dilip Gaikwad, one of the accused is an NCP leader and also a loyalist of Pawar family.

Dilip Gaikwad a NCP leader and loyalist of Pawar family has been arrested for selling Remdesivir injections filled with liquid paracetamol. The entire medical system has literally collapsed in Maharashtra. No wonder why we are witnessing highest active and death cases of Corona. pic.twitter.com/U0eIqEdJfE

— Piyush Singh (@PiyushTweets1) April 18, 2021

This set tongues wagging on social media, with many demanding proper probe into the ‘medicine racket’ in the state while many blamed such hand-in-glove operation of criminals behind chaotic state of Coronavirus in the state.

Anjali Damania, former AAP leader also demanded deeper probe into the criminal act of playing with lives of people.

I am told that Dilip Gaikawad, who is a NCP leader and a Pawar loyalist has been arrested in Baramati for selling paracetamol liquid in Remdesivir injection. How sick…. put him behind bars https://t.co/gOp4ITfQMw

— Mrs Anjali Damania (@anjali_damania) April 20, 2021