PUNE: Five people, including a medical shop owner and a nurse, were arrested for alleged black-marketing of a key drug used in the treatment of mucormycosis or ‘black fungus’ in Pimpri Chinchwad area in Pune district of Maharashtra, police said on Wednesday.
The accused were selling a vial of Amphotericin B injection, used in the treatment of mucormycosis, for Rs 21,000 against the original price of Rs 7,814 a vial, and Bevacizumab injection, used in the treatment of Covid-19, for Rs 65,000 against its actual price of 54,000 a vial.
“We received information that some people were involved in black-marketing of the mucormycosis drug and were selling them at a higher price.
Accordingly, one of the accused was contacted with the help of a decoy customer,” said a police officer from Pimpri Chinchwad.
One of the accused offered to sell a vial of Amphotericin B at Rs 21,000, following which he was detained.
“During his interrogation, he spilled the names of others including a medical shop owner and a nurse,” the officer said.
All five have been arrested under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Drugs Prices Control Order and the Essential Commodities Act, the officer added.