Man Arrested For Selling Fake Remdesivir Vials In Bengaluru

On Saturday, the Bengaluru Crime Branch apprehended a pharmaceutical company executive who was attempting to sell counterfeit Remdesivir vials in Shivajinagar, reported The Hindu. Syed Khaja Kaleelulla, 27, was detained in a Shivajinagar eyecare shop for the same. Five vials were seized from the accused. He was trying to sell each vial for ₹14,500 in the black market.

The accused was employed by a pharma company in Wilson Garden and claimed that Mujeer, a colleague, had given him the veils for the purpose of selling them and offered a commission if they were sold. The Commercial Street police will conduct further investigation on the case. The phone of the accused has been confiscated, and the investigation is ongoing. The city police are pursuing Mujeer, who is on the run.

Fake Remdesivir Vials Across States

A similar incident took place in Madhya Pradesh in the last week, whereby the Crime Branch had seized 16 packets with 25 vials from a dealer, as per The New Indian Express.

In Pune, four-person were arrested on the same charge on Saturday at Pencil Chowk in Baramati. All the accused were under the age of 25. The statement by the police read, 'The injections labelled as Remdisivir, used for the treatment of Covid-19 patients were filled with liquid paracetamol.', reported The Times of India.

As states and hospitals across the country complain about Remdesivir shortages, reports of fake Remdesivir vials are emerging from various regions. Remdesivir is a drug that is being used to treat Covid-19 and can be administered only in hospital settings.

Also Read: Shortage Of Antiviral Drug, 'Remdesivir' Across India; Here's What You Need To Know