At a time when the country is facing an unprecedented crisis brought about by the COVD-19 pandemic, there emerge heroes who are making a difference. These heroes, like the cops who are on vigil ensuring that the public follows the lockdown order, risking their own lives and safety in the process; heroes in blue gowns who are the last line of defence, a scary number of them having been infected by the same virus they are trying to treat; heroes like the sanitation workers who have to work despite the lockdown so that our homes and streets are garbage-free; heroes like the small businesses (the Kirana shops) who have been providing us with our daily essentials in our respective areas. We cannot help but salute each group for what they are doing in these challenging times.
Yet, despite the heroes, some anti-heroes are on the prowl and who will go to any length to profit from adversity. But then, let us not forget the heroes we mentioned earlier – the cops who are tirelessly working to keep us safe at all times.
In a breakthrough against the illegal manufacturing of surgical masks, hand sanitizers and gloves, city sleuths busted a manufacturer at Agripada and seized masks worth Rs 17 lakhs. The Crime Branch Unit – 12 seized a total of 18,000 N95 masks, 1000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kit worth Rs 1.15 crore respectively. The accused have been remanded to police custody.
According to the police, the Crime Branch (Property Cell) received a tip-off regarding an illegal manufacturer who stored around 57,000 masks and was planning to sell them at a higher price. “The Property Cell was tipped off about the illegal mask manufacturing unit at Lakdawala Chawl in the Kalapani area of Agripada. Accordingly, the Crime Branch sleuths made a swoop at the unit at around 4.30 pm on Tuesday, April 7, 2020,” said an officer attached to the Crime Branch.
Senior Inspector Kedari Pawar of the Crime Branch (Property Cell), which conducted the raid informed that the owner of the illegal unit, identified as 32-year-old Miraz Shaikh, has been arrested and booked under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. Pawar said that the estimated price of the seized masks is over Rs 17 lakhs in the open market. “The said unit was actually into the manufacturing of bags and purses earlier. However, cashing in on the present demand, they had started making masks,” Pawar said. The owners of the unit did not have the requisite permission to make masks (which requires tests and certification before they are deemed fit for use), nor did they have the expertise. “Moreover, they were manufactured in a makeshift unit without following the basic hygiene and safety guidelines,” he said.
During the raid, the police were successful in seizing around 57,000 finished masks kept in bundles. There was a stock of raw materials for kept ready for the next round of manufacturing. The arrested accused has been remanded to police custody.
The Crime Branch made more arrests on April 7, 2020, and seized a total of 18,000 N95 masks, 1,000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits and sanitisers worth
Rs 1.15 crore. Two other people were arrested in Goregaon for seeking to profit from and illegally storing 9,950 masks worth Rs 24.87 lakhs and 200 litres of sanitizer worth Rs 2.75 lakhs. Unit 10 intercepted three tempos in Marol and found sanitizers worth more than Rs 40 lakhs, 6,000 N95 masks worth Rs 15 lakh, and 1,000 PPE kits worth Rs 20 lakhs. The drivers of the tempos are being interrogated.
Our Correspondent
