Docs, staff use dubious ways to siphon off drugs

Of the five incidents of arrests in connection with the sale of Remdesivir, the one with the government hospital connection was reported in Tambaram.

Police said Mohammed Imran Khan, a private hospital doctor, bought Remdesiver from one Vignesh and others who worked at a government hospital in Tiruvannamalai. “These vials were given to the staff to administer to COVID patients. However, when the patients succumb, they inform the supervisors that they have administered the medicine and sell it for a higher price. That is how Vignesh and others sold it to Dr Mohammed Imran Khan,” said a police officer.

In the same way, physiotherapist Sambasivam of a private hospital in Puraswalkam stole Remdesivir vials allocated for patients and sold them outside.

Superintendent S Santhi of Civil Supplies CID, who cracked three such cases, said only in one of the cases the accused sourced it from a dealer to sell it for a higher price. “John Kingsley, who completed medicine in Russia is a drug agent, while his wife is a doctor. Once arrested, after laying a trap, he admitted to sourcing Remdesivir from a dealer. He was handed over to Pallavaram police,” said the officer.

Pallavaram police then arrested one Perumal based on John Kingsley’s inputs. “Perumal, who works in the drug sector, remains tight-lipped on where he sourced the medicine. So, we have planned to take him into custody again for interrogation. We would also rope in drug inspector’s help to trace the source with the help of the batch number printed on the seized vials,” said an officer.

In the other case, accused Dr G Deepan (28), bought Remdesivir from the pharmacy attached to the hospital in Sembakkam where he worked without valid documents and sold them for a higher price.

Similarly, the duo arrested by ICF police submitted documents of old patients from the hospital they worked at Kilpauk Medical College (KMC) to buy Remdesivir. “They bought it for Rs 9,500 and sold it for Rs 15,000,” said police.