The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is set to take up an investigation of the Remdesivir black marketing case of Ranchi as the sources in the agency confided that the FIR is likely to register within a couple of days. The ED has obtained necessary papers from the CID of Jharkhand police which is investigating the case.
While the Jharkhand High Court is monitoring the investigation the CID submitted the charge sheet against Rajiv Singh and Manish Kumar. They were arrested by Ranchi police for allegedly selling Remdesivir at the high cost which is the life-saving medicine for Covid 19. Singh is the main accused of the case. But the Jharkhand High Court expressed dissatisfaction over the nature and quality of the investigation carried by Jharkhand Police.
The High Court raised questions after Ranchi rural SP Naushad Alam was not made the accused in this case. He had asked accused Rajiv Singh to arrange Remdesivir for a person named Guddu. Alam was made an approver of the case. The high court had expressed displeasure over CID for making Alam as approval without approval and knowledge of the high court.The court had asked as to why IPS should not be presumed as a protector to people indulged in black-marketing since he purchased medicine from very people.
The ED will look into the financial aspect of this case. The investigation will focus on whether Singh is the lone person involved in the black-marketing or he is part of a syndicate that profited money out of the illegal sale of this medicine. Notably, in the charge sheet, the CID has claimed that the accused made huge money out of the black-marketing.
"This will be the first case of its kind where the accused committed money laundering by using a situation arising out of a pandemic. We will take-up investigation of this case," said ED sources.