Delhi Crime Branch cracked down at Uttarakhand manufacturing unit of fake Remdesivir injections

Delhi Crime Branch cracked down at a manufacturing unit in Uttarakhand for manufacturing of alleged fake Remdesivir injections and arrested seven persons. Thie crack down had led to busting of an entire inter state racket of fake Remdesivir injections.

This interstate gang consisted of accountant-turned-pharmacy owner, pharmacist, interior designer, mask and gloves suppliers, medical aid dealer and ayurved medicine trader. 

The accused were identified as Manish Goyal, Pushkar Chanderkant Pakhale,  Sadhna Sharma, Vatan Kumar Saini and Aditya Gautam.

DCP (Crime) Monica Bhardwaj stated that the accused persons encashed the situation and started to prepare the fake ‘Remdesivir’ with “anti-biotic injection vials” by changing their labels with COVIPRI to sell them as Remdesivir. They used to sell these injections in black market on higher prices and earn huge profit. They have setup a network of persons who supply the injections on demand.  A number of persons are involved in this black marketing of the life saving drugs. 

Speaking more about the accused, the officials stated that Manish Goyal (35) from Ghaziabad used to do marketing work earlier at Narender Mohan Hospital, Mohan Nagar, Ghaziabad, UP. Now he has started renting out Medical Equipment since February 2021. During Corona time, he published an advertisement to provide medical facilities related to medical help like Nurse at Home, GDA at Home, Oxygen Concentrator etc. during this period he met Mohan Jha recently and they started work together.

Pushkar Chanderkant Pakhale (32) from Jalgaon in Maharashtra used to supply ayurveda products in different ashrams. Since April 2020, he also started supplying masks and gloves. Recently when demand for injection Remdesivir increased, he came in touch with Arun Sharma, Vinay Pathak and Vatan Saini and started black marketing of the Fake Remdesivir.

Sadhna Sharma (40) from Yamuna Vihar worked as an event manager in trade fair etc. She got infected with corona virus recently and was treated in Goyal Hospital, Krishna Nagar, Delhi. During this time she needed injection Remdesivir and due to the high demand, she could not arrange it. However in the process she got in touch with Vatan Saini.

Vatan Kumar Saini (32) from Haridwar worked as a manufacturing chemist at Axa Parenteral Company Ltd in Roorkee from 2012 to 2014. From 2014 to 2016 he worked as a Franchise Manager in Marrial Pharma Pvt Ltd, Bhagwanpur, Roorkee. After that, in 2015, he started a company called Xesus Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd which does Medicine Trading and is still running. He knows Aditya Gautam since 2019. 

Aditya Gautam (33) from Haridwar is said to be the mastermind behind the scam. He used to work as account executive with G.S. Pharmacetical Pvt Ltd as Account Executive.  In 2016 left the company from the post of Plant Head. He took over Helax Health Care Pvt Ltd, Bhagwanpur, Distt Haridwar on lease, which is a Medicine Manufacturing company. He had run this company till April 2019. In May 2019, Nector Herbs and Drugs company was taken on lease by him and the same is still running.  

The crime branch seized 198 vials of fake ‘Remdesivir’, one Packing Machine, 3000 empty vials to be used in packing of ‘Remdesivir’ and other packing materials of azithromycin etc. 

The interstate cell of crime branch deployed several teams with the specific task to identify and crack down on such interstate gang. The crime branch had previously arrested Mohd. Shoiab Khan and Mohan Kumar Jha from Sangam Vihar who, in their interrogation, disclosed the entire racket operating from Kotdwar in Uttarakhand.

They disclosed a whole gang operating in major cities supplying “Remdesivir Injections” at exorbitant rates of Rs 25000-40000.

The crime branch conducted raids at difference cities. At Yamuna Vihar in Delhi Manish Goyal and Pushkar Chanderkant Pakhale were apprehended. A total 12 (6 from each accused) fake “Remdesivir Injections” were recovered from their possession. This led to the arrest of Sadhna Sharma and 160 vials of fake Remdesivir injections (COVIPRI) were recovered from her possession. 

Vatan Kumar Saini was apprehended from Haridwar and one packing machine, 3000 empty vials to be used in packing of fake Remdesivir Injections, and packing material of Azithromycin etc. were recovered from his house. Saini's arrest led police to  Aditya Gautam who was arrested from Roorkee, who purchased around 2000 anti-biotic injection vials (identical packing of Remdesivir) and changed their labels at his factory in Kotdwar, with COVIPRI to sell them as Remdesivir.  

The police seized a computer on which he prepared the labels and 16 more fake Remdesivir Injection vials have also been recovered in the said case. 

The Delhi Crime Branch teams are still conducting raids in various parts of Uttrakhand to unearth further chain involved in black marketing of fake lifesaving drugs. 

The company Nector Herbs and Drugs company at Kotdwar in Uttrakhand is being sealed.