Manipur health officials booked for supplying substandard masks

Officials of health department of the Manipur government were booked on Saturday after substandard N95 masks were seized by police in a raid at the Central Medical Directorate in Lamphel.

Imphal:A case was filed against some officials of the health department of the Manipur government after substandard N95 masks were seized by police in a raid at the Central Medical Directorate in Lamphel, officials said on Saturday.

The raid was conducted by a special team of the Vigilance and Anti-corruption Police Station on Friday after allegations were levelled that substandard masks were supplied to the district hospital in Churachandpur, they said.

The team seized 1,250 N95 masks and samples of other medical protective gear, police officials said.

On April 14, 200 defective N95 masks were found to have been supplied to the district hospital, they said.

"The defective masks, supposed to be used in the isolation ward, were, however, returned on the same day and replaced with new ones" a senior official said.

Besides the Directorate of Health officials, proprietors of five firms and some unknown persons have also been booked, police said.

Further investigations are underway, they added.

PTI Report