Thane, May 7 (PTI) A man was arrested in Thane district for allegedly procuring swab sample collection sticks and then getting them packed in an unhygienic manner for further distribution amid the COVID-19 pandemic, police said on Friday.

Manish Keshwani of Ulhasnagar was held on Thursday after it was found that he had got the sticks at Rs 20 per thousand pieces from households and was getting them packed through women and children in violation of outbreak protocols, an official said.

"After the state Food and Drug Administration filed a complaint, we arrested Keshwani under IPC and Epidemic Diseases Act provisions," he added.

A video of the swab sticks being packaged went viral on social media two days ago.

(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)