Pramesh Jain

The West Division police of KP Agrahara police on Monday arrested a ward boy of Victoria hospital for selling Remdesivir injections illegally in Blackmarketing charging exorbitant price.

Senior officer told media persons,as our KP Agrahara Inspector and staff were on patrolling and received a tip off by informant that a person is moving around a medical shop in 5th cross and is indulged in selling Remdesivir injections vials to people charging exorbitant price.

Acting on tip-off a team of police officials rushed to the spot and kept a close watch on the suspect and the accused was caught red handed offering Remdesivir injections to the people visiting the drug stores.

The team detained and brought to the police station for questioning during investigation it was revealed that the accused is a Juvenile and during search the team recovered a box containing eight bottles of injections from him.

Further Investigations revealed that he had stolen the box from the box of drugs being transported  in a lift at victoria hospital on May 13 to administer to the people who come to take the injections.

Surprisingly,the staff did not notice the missing medicine nor reported the matter to their seniors.

The accused a ward boy brought the stolen box with an intention to make quick money due to the demand.The accused has been taken into custody for further investigations.

The accused has been booked under Drug control Act and we have written to hospital seeking action on the incharge who has appointed a juvenile as a ward boy and further investigation is on he added.

In another incident on Monday the Baiyyapanahalli police arrested a nurse of a private hospital who was administering two people from a single vial and then pocketing the remaining vial to be sold later in black.

And the majority of the accused arrested so far in blackmarketing Remdesivir injection related to the hospital or pharma companies.

MADIKERI: “A villager is suspected to have been infected with Covid. The doctor will visit the area now and I have to ensure that the villager has given his throat swab for the test. I will then have to take the doctor on a tour around the village,” spoke an ASHA worker hurriedly over the phone.

“Many of us are dependent on the honorarium. They say that they have not been allotted money in the budget. We get a minimum amount of Rs 4,000; it hurts when this money too is not given to us on time,” shared the ASHA worker who is relentlessly involved in creating awareness and collecting data of Covid patients across Chettalli area in South Kodagu. 

She explains how she has become numb to the rude behavior of many residents; yet, continues with her work for a greater good.  

“We do not have any designated work timing. We sometimes start as early as 7 am and work between nine to 10 hours on busy days,” shared another ASHA worker from K Nidugane village limits. She alleged that the state has not even distributed masks to all the ASHA workers.

“Recently, a person donated a safety kit and just a few days ago we were handed over with a face shield and a mask,” said the worker from Chettalli limits.

The ASHA workers said they find it difficult to commute from rural areas to the PHC for any general meetings due to the absence of transport facilities. 

“We cannot even hitchhike as not a single vehicle will stop for us after seeing us in the uniform. We are faced with numerous such problems,” they further said.

“Each time we question the authorities concerned about the salary, we are told that it will be credited soon. We have been hearing this for last three months,” they added.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Monday agreed to hear during ongoing summer vacation the plea of former Karnataka minister and mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy seeking permission to visit his home town Ballari which was prohibited while being granted bail in a mining case.

A vacation bench comprising Ashok Bhushan and M R Shah took note of Reddy’s fresh plea seeking permission to visit Ballari and said the matter would be listed before another bench probably next week by Chief Justice N V Ramana.

On April 5, a bench comprising Justices Bhushan and R Subhash Reddy had reserved verdict on a similar plea by Reddy seeking modification of the bail conditions imposed by the apex court in 2015.

“I have discussed with Justice Reddy. He has also consented to the release of the matter. It will be listed before another bench during the vacation only,” Justice Bhsuhan said on Monday, adding the date of hearing and the bench would be decided by the CJI.

The CBI, represented by Additional Solicitor General Madhavi Divan, opposed the plea of senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Reddy, that the interim application be listed during the summer break itself, saying, “It looks like a side wind to get into Ballary”.

The law officer said the bench had already reserved its order on the similar plea after the arguments got over.

Earlier also, the CBI had opposed Reddy’s similar plea saying that he should not be allowed to visit district Bellary in Karnataka as he holds considerable influence and might interfere with the investigation “He has led multiple petitions, witnesses under police protection have been threatened and vehicles have been set on fire. Over 40 witnesses are there. We do not know what will happen if this gentleman is allowed to enter the area,” the probe agency had said.

Reddy was granted conditional bail by the apex court in January 2015 after spending more than three years in jail.

Reddy and his brother-in-law B V Srinivas Reddy, managing director of the Obalapuram Mining Company (OMC), were arrested by CBI on September 5, 2011 from Ballari and brought to Hyderabad.

The company is accused of changing mining lease boundary markings and indulging in illegal mining in the Ballari Reserve Forest area, spread over Ballari in Karnataka and Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh.

“He shall surrender his passport, if not already surrendered, to the learned Principal Special Judge for CBI Cases, Hyderabad. If he has already surrendered his passport before the learned Principal Special Judge, that fact should also be supported by an affidavit,” the top court had said while granting bail.

Reddy shall not leave the country without the leave of the trial judge, it had said.