New Delhi, Mar 15 (PTI) Assets worth Rs 1.04 crore of two Gujarat-based businessmen, who allegedly sold “fake” Remdesivir injections during the second wave of the Covid pandemic last year, have been attached under the anti-money laundering law, the ED said on Tuesday.
Kaushal Mahendra Bhai Vora and Punit Gunvantlal Shah manufactured fake injections of the anti-viral drug at a farmhouse-cum-manufacturing facility in Surat and sold them in Madhya Pradesh and some other states, the agency said.
“The accused sold fake Remdesivir injections to various vendors who further sold the same to needy retail customers at exorbitant prices. In some cases, the injections were directly sold to retail customers who were identified by the accused persons through social media platforms during the peak of the second wave of COVID-19,” the ED said in a statement.
Also, fake Remdesivir injections were sold through vendors who were already in the business of supplying medical drugs and even to hospitals treating coronavirus patients, the agency said.
Huge number of fake Remdesivir injections were purchased and injected to various patients at “exorbitant prices” by a hospital based in Madhya Pradesh, the ED probe found.
“As per preliminary estimates, thousands of such fake Remdesivir injections were sold across Madhya Pradesh and certain other states. The accused generated huge proceeds of crime by endangering human lives during the peak of the second wave of COVID-19,” it said.
The anti-viral drug was part of the clinical management of coronavirus patients.
The ED studied two separate FIRs filed by Morbi police, Gujarat and Indore police, Madhya Pradesh into the sale of fake Remdesivir injections following which it found that the “supply chain” of these originated at a manufacturing facility in Surat.
“The accused persons were found to be manufacturing fake Remdesivir injections, similar in appearance to that of a reputed brand. These fake injections were being manufactured by mixing glucose and salt in deceptively similar bottles having similar stickers to that of branded original injections,” the ED said.
“Empty bottles of the same size and similar appearance, huge quantities of glucose, salt, packing material, fake stickers and other raw materials in huge quantities were seized during the raids conducted at the farmhouse-cum-manufacturing facility at Surat by Morbi police,” it added.
The agency issued a provisional attachment under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach Rs 1.04 crore cash and deposits of the accused.
Of the above, the ED said, Rs 89.20 lakh cash was found in possession of Vora, who “masterminded” the entire conspiracy of manufacturing fake Remdesivir injections and Rs 11.50 lakh cash and Rs 3.92 lakh worth deposits in bank were found in possession of Shah, the co-conspirator in the production and supply of the fake injections. PTI NES RHL
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Source: The Print
