Four people, including a government pharmacist, have been arrested for illegally selling Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) medicines in the open market, police said Tuesday.
Shahid Usmani, 32, -- the kingpin of the racket -- along with Manoj Rajpal, 35, was arrested Jan 17 from Bhagirath Palace wholesale market in old Delhi where he had gone to deliver a consignment of stolen medicines.
Sanjay Kumar, 42, and Swaraj Dhankad, 57, were arrested from different locations Monday for their involvement in selling the medicines meant strictly for government hospitals and ESI dispensaries.
Police have recovered life saving and antibiotic medicines worth Rs.5 lakh from their possession.
"We have arrested four people, including a government employee, for illegally selling CGHS medicines in the market and seized medicines worth Rs.5 lakh from their possession," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Ravindra Yadav told IANS.
He said the accused disposed off the medicines at Bhagirath Palace wholesale market in old Delhi area.
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"The investigation conducted so far has revealed that Dhankad and Kumar used to obtain costly medicines meant for government health scheme beneficiaries and then sell the same to Usmani on charging their commission. Usmani would further sell the same to Rajpal," Yadav said.
"The accused were indulging in this illegal trade for around five years," Yadav said.
Dhankad, a pharmacist at a government dispensary in Najafgarh, met Usmani five years ago and agreed to sell him the medicines.