Berhampur: Acting on a tip-off, a joint raid conducted by drug inspector and the police unearthed black marketing of oxygen cylinders in Silk City. A total of 10 oxygen cylinders were seized from a shop called ‘Sree Surgical’ here, Sunday. Officials later informed that the 10 cylinders had been stored for black marketing and were to be sold to family members of Covid-19 patients at hefty prices.
A health official informed that the need for oxygen cylinders has increased drastically as suspected Covid-19 patients try to procure those in advance to overcome the fall in oxygen levels. The unscrupulous and dishonest traders taking advantage of the situation are selling the cylinders at a very high price. A 10-litre cylinder is being sold for prices ranging between Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000, the official said.
The raid took place after the drug inspector Debashis Kalo received a complaint regarding black marketing of oxygen cylinders in the city. Kalo informed his Chhatrapur counterpart Lalit Kumar Sahu and SDPO Bishnu Prasad Pati following which a joint team of drug department officials and police raided the store and unearthed the wrongdoing. Kalo informed similar raids will take place in other places of the city.
PNN
