With the arrest of five persons, including two pharmacists, Delhi Police today claimed to have smashed a gang involved in siphoning off medicines meant for poor people from a government hospital.Medicines worth Rs 60 lakh were recovered from the arrested persons identified as Ashwani Sharma (35), Pyare Ali (35), Hakim Singh (45), Dharmender Kumar (40) and Narender Kumar Sharma (56).Narender is the head pharmacist of Hedgewar Hospital while Kumar works under him, Sanjay Kumar Jain, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-East), said.”We have exposed the unholy nexus between hospital staff and medicine supplier and the systematic siphoning of the government procured medicine meant for poor patients.Ashwani and Narender were the main kingpins who were operating the gang for the last one year,” Jain said.The arrests came after police received information about illegal sale of government medicine.Following investigations, Jain said, a raid was conducted at the house of Ashwani.”The raid parties were shocked to see the huge stocks of medicine at his house where he had a godown to store them.All the medicines were bearing specific marking of ‘Supply for Government of NCT of Delhi, Not for sale’ and on some medicine marking of ‘MCD supply, Not for Sale’ was imprinted,” Jain said.Medicines of 28 types mostly costly antibiotics, ointments and inhalers, including Amoxycillin 500 mg, Roxythromycin 150mg, Ampicllin 500 mg, Asthalin, Ciprorin 200 mg and 500mg, Metrogyl 400mg, Cephalaxin 500 mg, Norfloxacin 400 mg, Ofloren 200 mg and Erythromycine, were recovered.During interrogation, Jain said, it came to light that Ashawani belongs to a family of pharmacists. He had done a two-year course of D-Pharm from Banglore.”He has thorough knowledge about the working of government hospitals and its system. He is well aware about the nuances and nitty gritty and detailed procedure system and loopholes in receipt and issuance of medicine at government hospitals,” he said.Taking advantage the weakness in the system, he formed a cartel with staff in Hedgewar hospital.”By inducing Narender and his other assistant in pharma section, he started systematic siphoning off government medicine at dirt cheap price. The staff was selling the medicines at 10-20 per cent of market value,” Jain said, adding the major share of the earnings was kept by Narender.Ashwani would resell these medicines in UP and Bihar through his various connections.
