Three held from Thane for black-marketing black fungus medicine

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Police have arrested three people here in Thane for allegedly black-marketing a key drug used in the treatment of mucormycosis or 'black fungus' infection, an official said on Sunday. Acting on a tip-off, the police laid a trap on Saturday and initially caught two persons who had come to sell the medicine in black, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Vartak Division, Pankaj Shirsat said.

The two persons, hailing from Panvel in neighbouring Navi Mumbai and Vasai in Palghar district, were arrested near the Kapurbawdi Naka in Thane and 14 injections of Liposomal Amphotericin-B worth Rs 1,09,424 were recovered from them, he said. During questioning, the two persons told the police that they had procured the vials from a man from Boisar in Palghar. The police later also arrested the third accused, the official said.

A case was registered against the accused under relevant provisions, the police said, adding that they have been remanded in police custody till June 23. Mucormycosis is a fungal infection leading to prolonged morbidity and even mortality among Covid-19 patients. The Jharkhand government recently declared mucormycosis as an epidemic amid the rising number of cases of the infection.

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