COVID-19: 2 held, 284 Remdesivir vials seized in Mumbai

Police in Mumbai have arrested two people and seized over 280 vials of Remdesivir injections, a key medicine in the treatment of coronavirus.

Mumbai: Two persons have been arrested in Mumbai allegedly with over 280 vials of Remdesivir injections, a key medicine in the treatment of coronavirus, police said on Friday.

The first arrest was of Sarfaraz Hussain, who was caught by the Crime Branch's Unit X with 12 vials of the injections at Andheri (East) on Thursday evening, an official said. His questioning led the Unit X team to a godown of a pharmaceutical firm, where a raid netted another 272 vials, worth Rs 13.05 lakh, he said.

"The man arrested earlier said the 12 vials with him were given by the owner of the pharma firm for sale in the market at Rs 8,000 per vial. The owner of the pharma firm, identified as Javed Rehman Akhtar (46), has also been arrested," he said.

Both were charged under relevant provisions of the IPC, Drug Price Control Order, Essential Commodities Act and Drugs and Cosmetics Act at Andheri Police Station, the official added.

With Maharashtra witnessing a spurt in COVID-19 cases, Remdesivir injections are in high demand in the state. On Thursday, the Maharashtra government capped the price of Remdesivir between Rs 1,100 and Rs 1,400 per vial and warned against its hoarding and black marketing.

PTI