2 nurses nabbed in Delhi for stealing dead patients’ Remdesivir for black-marketing

PTI, May 3, 2021, 7:11 PM IST

New Delhi: Two male nurses of a private hospital in west Delhi who allegedly sneaked away with Remdesivir injection vials of dead coronavirus patients for black-marketing have been arrested, police said on Monday.

The accused have been identified as Domathoti Yashwanth (27), a resident of Harsh Vihar, and Deepak (28), a resident of Budh Vihar.

With an unprecedented rise in coronavirus cases, the drug is in high demand these days even though experts have underlined its limited benefits.

Police said they had received a tip-off about the two accused and laid a trap near Punjabi Bagh Flyover after being informed that Yashwanth would arrive there for selling Remdesiver injection at inflated prices.

A senior police officer said Yashwanth was apprehended on Saturday near the Punjabi Bagh Flyover, towards Britannia Chowk, when he was coming in a car.

Two Remdesivir injection vials were recovered from his possession, the officer said.

Yashwanth told the police he was a staff nurse in Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, Punjabi Bagh, and that he his colleague Deepak took away the injections of dead patients at the facility and sell them for Rs 30,000 to 40,000, the officer said.

Later, Deepak was also apprehended from Maharaja Agrasen Hospital and three Remdesivir injection vials were recovered from him, police said.