Pharmacist at Pune's reputed hospital arrested for stealing masks

Pune:  As the scare of coronavirus rises across the country, a pharmacist from a reputed hospital in Maharashtra's Pune has been arrested for allegedly stealing masks and other medicines worth over Rs 35,000, police said on Sunday.

The 28-year-old accused stole masks, injections, tablets and some ointments, collectively worth Rs 35,750, from the hospital pharmacy where he was working on Saturday, a Koregaon Park police station official said.

He has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for theft. The state of Maharashtra yesterday confirmed 5 positive cases of coronavirus in the city of Pune itself

On Monday, a Pune couple, with travel history to Dubai were tested Coronavirus positive and quarantine. On Tuesday, their daughter, the cab-driver, who ferried them from Mumbai airport to their Pune home, and a co-passenger, have tested positive. 

Meanwhile, in order to prevent hoarding of masks which are in great demand, the state Food and Drug department had earlier appealed chemists to not stockpile them.

Authorities have been appealing to people to wear masks only if recommended by doctors and have been insisting on maintaining personal hygiene to keep the viral infection at bay. 

Medical dialogues team have recently reported that the licences of five medical stores in Ghaziabad have been cancelled after they were found to be selling hand sanitisers and face masks at inflated rates in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic scare

The drug department conducted raids on a number of retail and wholesale medical stores in the district following several complaints of black marketing of precautionary equipment to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 infection, such as masks and sanitisers, they said.

Raids were conducted under the aegis of additional city magistrate (ACM) upon the instruction of the district magistrate (DM).

Read also: Coronavirus: 5 medical stores license cancelled for selling masks, sanitisers at inflated rates