Mumbai: Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the help of Crime Branch sleuths of Mumbai police arrested a 30-year-old man on charges of selling Tocilizumab injections – used for treating mild symptomatic Covid-19 patients – in black market at almost thrice the original price.
Police have identified the suspects as Azam Naseer Khan, a resident of Kashipur in Uttarakhand. Police have seized 15 injections from his possession. A case has been filed against Azam under sections of the Indian Penal Code, Essential Commodities Act 1955, Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 and Drugs Prices Control Order 2013. Azam was produced in a local court and has been remanded to police custody till Friday (August 7). Primary investigations into the matter have revealed that Azam had procured the injection from a medical store owner in Delhi.
According to police, Azam was working in Delhi and used to make flex boards for advertisements. When the nationwide lockdown was imposed, Azam lost his livelihood and started selling sanitisers and masks. While doing this new business, he came in contact with a medical store owner who lured him into the black marketing of Covid-19 medicines and injections.
Azam came to Mumbai in search of customers who needed Tocilizumab injections. He had booked a room at a lodge and was staying there. When FDA officials received a tip off that a man was trying to sell the injections at thrice the original price, they contacted the Unit 9 of Mumbai Police Crime Branch. Along with two officials from FDA, crime branch team laid a trap for Azam. A decoy customer approached him and asked him to deliver the injection near Bandra Reclamation Bridge.
Azam was nabbed near the bridge and taken into custody for interrogation. Based on the information provided by Azam, Mumbai police are now searching for the Delhi medical store owner. Police suspect that this may be an inter-state racket of dealers involved in black marketing of Covid-19 essential drugs.
