NEW DELHI: The medicines that nearly 100 cancer patients bought for treatment were meant for others and reached them through an alleged illegal chain they knew nothing about. Investigators probing a multi-state racket busted in Aug have traced scores of patients who were allegedly sold medicines diverted from the legitimate supply chain. The number could be significantly higher, suspect investigators.The patients and their relatives questioned so far have told police that they had no idea the sellers were allegedly part of a racket and had no reason to suspect that some of the vials might have originally been meant for other patients.Most of the patients traced till now are from Haryana, while some are from another state. Investigators are going backwards through hospital records, chemist shops and patient details to establish where each vial came from, who diverted it and how it eventually reached another patient. Three chemist shops and four private hospitals in Haryana and Telangana have so far been identified as sources from where the medicines were allegedly misappropriated.“Most of the patients for whom the vials were legitimately issued were also from Haryana, but the medicines were allegedly misappropriated and sold to others. Some of these patients have been examined by police,” a source said.The medical consequences of the alleged diversion have become an important part of the investigation. Police are trying to establish whether patients whose medicines were diverted missed their prescribed doses and whether any such interruption affected their treatment. Police may approach a premier hospital for an expert opinion on the impact of patients missing their scheduled doses or treatment cycles. “These findings may help us build a stronger chargesheet,” the source added.“The accused allegedly misappropriated vials meant for patients and sold them to others for Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.3 lakh per vial. The original cost was between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 3 lakh per vial,” an investigator said.In Aug, Delhi Police arrested 17 people, busting the multi-state racket allegedly targeting cancer patients and their families across the country, including Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The drugs worth around Rs 9 crore were seized, including 588 vials of critical cancer injections and 3,021 units of other medicines, besides Rs 50 lakh in cash. Some of the drugs were allegedly fake.Investigators believe the accused had been operating the racket for nearly two years. The exact quantity of medicines allegedly diverted and sold is still being worked out.Investigators have not found any foreign connection in the case, with the probe currently focused on reconstructing the domestic supply chain and identifying everyone who may have played a role in the racket.The gang allegedly sourced medicines through three channels: counterfeit drugs procured from unauthorised sources, genuine medicines allegedly misappropriated from hospitals, and drugs allegedly diverted from govt institutions and warehouses. Batch numbers and MRP details were removed, and medicines were repackaged to conceal their source, sources said.
