New Delhi, Apr 19 (PTI) A pharmacy store owner and his employee were arrested in Delhi on Monday in connection with alleged black marketing of antiviral drug Remdesivir, police said.

The accused were identified as Basant Goel (41), a resident of Delhi's Vivek Vihar and his employee Ramoutar Sharma (27), a resident of North Chhajupur in Delhi, a police official said.

Delhi Police's Crime Branch launched an investigation after a case was registered by them on Monday in connection with the black marketing of Remdesivir in Delhi.

"Basant Goel, the owner of "Goyal Medicos" located in Durgapuri Extension Loni Road, has been arrested in the case along with his employee Ramoutar Sharma," said Chinmoy Biswal, Delhi Police Public Relations Officer (PRO).

He said the "Crime Branch is tracing out further connections in the black marketing of this life-saving coronavirus drug and further investigation is in progress."

State governments have been asked to take strict action against anyone found indulged in black marketing or hoarding of antiviral drug Remdesivir, Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said on Monday.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)