Hyderabad: An investigation by the Hyderabad police which claimed to have busted an eight-member gang selling emergency medicines for Covid-19 at higher prices in July this year -- is under a cloud.
Multiple discrepancies have been pointed out in the investigation: A Delhi-based youngster was linked to the crime without specifying charges against him in their own remand case diary; there was no specific description of the quantity of medicines seized from him, or what happened to those medicines worth about Rs 9.5 lakh in his possession; what was his role in the alleged racket; and there were differing versions of the place of his arrest.
Even the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has stepped in and asked Telangana chief secretary Somesh Kumar to examine the matter, which is understood to have been passed on to DGP M Mahendar Reddy.
It was on July 14 that the Hyderabad police announced the arrest of eight men who were allegedly procuring various medicines used in Covid-19 treatment at lower prices and selling the same at higher prices in the black market.
The overall seizure of medicines shown as Rs 35 lakh worth. It is unclear if the drugs, with a September expiry date, are intact or have vanished. The Delhi-based youngster in question is 21-year-old Gagan Khurana (named as accused No 6), a resident of Shahdara.
Deccan Chronicle has in its possession the remand case diary, which speaks for itself, besides other documents. The facts stated in the documents simply do not square up with the police version. In the press conference held to announce the arrest, Khurana is referred to as a "very important person (in the case) who is the main black marketeer."
First, the six-page remand case diary. It states that at 11 a.m on July 14, two sub-inspectors of police from the Chaderghat police station and South Zone Task Force respectively, conducted a raid outside Thumbay New Life Hospital at Chaderghat based on a tipoff. Two men were apprehended whose confessions led to the arrests of Rahul Agarwal of M/s Rahul Health Specialities (accused no. 5) and Gagan Khurana, from Narayanguda.
As more accused in the case were arrested, it led to the seizure of medicines like remdesivir, Fabiflu strips, Actemra 400 mg and Actemra 80 mg among other material. The next day, that is July 15, all eight were arrested.
The document then goes into details of the charges against each of the accused -- from conspiracy to how each of the accused went about purchasing and selling the drugs at higher prices.
But when it comes to Khurana, there is no specific mention of his role in the racket, which raises questions as to why the investigating officer chose not to specify charges against him.
Yet, it was stated that "the accused persons A1 to A8 committed an offence and are liable for punishment under sections 420, 188 IPC and section 7 of EC Act, Section 27 of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, Section 51 (b) of disaster management Act."
Strangely, there is no specific mention of the quantity of medicines seized from Khurana. The document simply says the police seized Actemra 400 mg and Actemra 80 mg medicines besides two phones from him. It is only in reference to other accused that seizure of Remdesivir and Fabiflu strips is mentioned.
It states that all accused were selling Remdesivir at higher rates and there is no specific mention of them also selling Actemra 400 mg, Actemra 80 mg or Fabiflu in the black market.
A very generalised mention does find place in the remand diary which states that "all the accused were purchasing Remdesivir, Fabiflu, Actemra 400 mg and Actemra 80 mg at cheaper prices and selling them at higher prices."
Interestingly, a GST invoice (no. 0000237) was raised by Delhi-based wholesale pharmaceutical trader M/s Asvin Life Care in favour of M/s Rahul Health Specialities which belongs to Rahul Agarwal (accused no. 5) on July 13.
It lists 180 Fabiflu tablets (at a rate of 2455 and MRP 3500) worth Rs 4,41,964 and 11 Actemra 400 mg injections (at a rate of Rs 38,614 and MRP 40,545) worth Rs 4,24,757. The IGST payable was Rs 74,273 and the total bill was for Rs 9,40,996. It is learnt that Gagan Khurana was associated with Asvin Life Care as a delivery boy. He was the one entrusted with the task of delivering the material to Rahul, which as per the invoice, was a genuine transaction.
But it remains a mystery if Rahul was made to place the order deliberately, while in police custody. The question that arises here is can merely delivering medicines make Khurana an accused and if so, why no investigation launched against Asvin Life care.
As per Gagan Khurana"s air ticket, he boarded an Indigo (flight No. 6E 5055, PNR -- ILC7VT) from New Delhi which departed at 2140 hours and touched down at Hyderabad at 2350 hours on July 13. It is suspected that he was picked up by plainclothes policemen from the Hyderabad airport itself -- which would have been captured on the CCTVs.
But the CISF officials at the airport could not provide the CCTV footage. In their reply on August 20, they said -- "As per the CCTV system at the IGI airport, maximum storage period for the purpose of retrieval of any footage of IGI airport is limited to 30 days only. Hence the CCTV footage cannot be saved/provided by this office."
The police version is that he was arrested in Narayanguda. There is no mention in the remand diary of when Khurana had arrived in Hyderabad from Delhi with the medicines. There is no proof either to suggest that he went around the city and supplied the medicines to other accused. Meanwhile, all accused are out on bail.
