Indore: Amid a sharp rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in Madhya Pradesh, Indore police and crime branch sleuths on Sunday arrested five people for selling glucose solution on the pretext of the life-saving, anti-viral medication Remdesivir.
While two persons—Ujjwal Patel and Amit Awasthi—were arrested by Indore police, the crime branch arrested three people, identified as Mansingh Meena, Ankit Patwari, and Bajrang Rathore.
According to police, all five were involved in refilling vials with glucose solution and sell it as Remdesivir injection in the market. The accused were selling glucose solution at Rs 20,000 per vial, while its authorized market price is Rs 899 from Rs 2,800.
The matter came to light when a person lodged a complaint with the city's Lasudia police station. The accused had sold a vial to the complainant filled with nothing but glucose solution.
When the complainant took the injection to the doctor, the doctor refused to inject the vaccine saying the vial was a fake one, police said.
Remdesivir is in high demand across the state and the country as it is used as an emergency measure to treat critically ill Covid patients.
Police seized fake injections from the possession of the accused individuals who took advantage of a shortage of the anti-viral medication.
Meanwhile, the city crime branch has formed a team after receiving complaints about the sale of fake Remdesivir injections.
Read: Remdesivir firm's top executive held for black marketing in Gujarat
