Police have arrested 45 brokers, including five women, in a raid at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, officials have said.
The raid was conducted on Monday morning at the hospital’s Building No 2 by NSI and Shahbagh Police Station, following surveillance in plain clothes.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Md Masud Alam said a broker network had been operating at the hospital for a long time, defrauding patients in various ways.
“They used various tactics to divert patients to private hospitals and clinics and swindle money from them,” the DC said.
The arrestees were taken to Shahbagh Police Station and will be produced before the Judicial Magistrate of Ramna Division for verification and punishment.
Among the 45 arrested, 19 are representatives of various pharmaceutical companies. The DC said they have designated hospital visit times on Mondays and Thursdays after 12 noon. However, on Monday, they entered the hospital before that time.
The judicial magistrate will decide their fate as well.
Upon learning of the arrests, over a hundred colleagues and company officials of the detained pharma representatives gathered in front of Shahbagh Police Station and began lobbying for their release.
Habibur Rahman Habib, president of the Pharmaceutical Representatives Association (PHAREA), said, “Our representatives were on their scheduled Monday visit. They were arrested from there. We protest this.”
Pharma representatives are seen in hospital wards and doctors’ rooms every day of the week, outside their scheduled visit times. They are also often seen snatching prescriptions from patients’ hands and taking photos.
When asked about guidelines on this matter, Habib said representatives go to doctors’ rooms only when called, and there is no opportunity to take photos of patients’ prescriptions. “If anyone does such a thing, action will be taken against them as well,” he added.
