Eskayef made ‘Remivir 100’ injection for COVID seized by Indian police

GBNEWS24 DESK//

Anti-viral Remdesivir injection produced by a Bangladeshi pharmaceutical company for the treatment of COVID-19 has been confiscated by police in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Four people were also arrested by police for selling the injection ‘Remivir 100’ in black market.

‘Remivir 100’ is the brand name of the Remdesivir injection produced by Bangladeshi pharmaceutical company ‘Eskayef Pharmaceuticals Ltd’.

According to a news report published in The Statesman of India on Tuesday, the Crime Branch of Bhopal Police in Madhya Pradesh arrested four people, including a doctor, on Saturday and recovered four ‘Remivir 100′ injections from their possession.

As per the photographs provided by the police of the four confiscated injections, the brand name on each vial is written as ‘Remivir 100’.

According to information available on the internet, ‘Remivir 100’ is the brand name of the Remdesivir injection produced by Bangladeshi pharmaceutical company ‘Eskayef Pharmaceuticals’.

Acting on a tip-off that some persons were trying to sell Remdesivir injections clandestinely at very high rates of up to Rs 18,000 per injection, the Crime Brach of Bhopal police contacted the seller in guise of customers. After a deal was struck, a police constable in plain clothes met the seller at the Islami Gate in Shahjehanabad area of the old city.

When the seller handed over an injection to the constable, the police team nabbed the accused.

The Bhopal Crime Branch SP Gopal Dhakad said the seller identified himself as Sami khan, 30, a resident of Arif Nagar in Shahjehanabad area. He was trying to sell one Remdesivir injection for Rs 18,000. The union government fixed the price of each Remdesivir injection between Rs 800 to Rs 3,490.

Police said that three accomplices of Sami Khan were also arrested. They were identified as Akhlakh Khan, 24, resident of DIG Bungalow area, Noman Khan, 30, resident of Kabitpura in Shahjehanabad area, and Dr Ehsan Khan (22), resident of MIG Colony in Karond area of Bhopal.

The accused told police that Noman Khan had initially got the injections. From him, the other three bought them for Rs 7,000 each and then were trying to sell them off up to Rs 18,000 each.

Sources said the police were also trying to find out if the confiscated injections were from the 863 Remdesivir injections stolen from the Government Hamidia Hospital in Bhopal on Friday night. If they were from that lot, then the police might also be able to crack that theft case.