TWO ARRESTED FOR SELLING BLOOD PLASMA

Noida (UP), May 12: Two men were arrested in Greater Noida on Wednesday for allegedly selling blood plasma to Covid-19 patients for up to Rs 60,000 each unit, police said.

The duo had floated their phone number on Facebook through which they were contacted by people who were in need of blood plasma but were charged up to Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 for a single unit, the police said.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Greater Noida) Vishal Pandey said the accused were held by officials of the Beta 2 police station and the Crime Branch.

“Accused Anil Sharma had some time back contacted Rohit Rathi, who worked as a ward boy in a hospital, for blood plasma for treatment of his mother. Later, the two got together with an idea to find plasma donors and then selling it to the needy at high rates due to increased demand amid the pandemic,” Pandey said.

“The duo would hire plasma donors and pay them some money for it after which they sold the same plasma to people at exorbitant rates of Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000,” he added.

The police said so far they have been able to track six such cases involving the duo, while further investigation is underway.

They have also seized one unit of plasma (A+ blood group), Rs 35,000 cash from the duo and impounded their car.

An FIR has been lodged against them under the Indian Penal Code section 420 (cheating) and provisions of the National Disaster Management Act (NDMA), the police added.