Fake blood platelets sold in UP after 'Mosambi juice' death: 10 arrested

Lucknow: Ten persons were allegedly caught by Prayagraj police in Uttar Pradesh peddling blood plasma as platelets to dengue victims' families.

The arrests are similar to a previous case in the city where a hospital is accused of giving sweet lime (mosambi) juice in place of platelets to a dengue patient who later passed away. The existence of juice in the packets has not yet been established; a report is being anticipated, and the "juice" notion has so far only circulated on social media, according to police, ndtv reported.

The authorities claimed that these 10 men were stealing plasma from blood banks and repackaging them as platelets. Platelets and plasma are both parts of blood, but they are utilised to treat various illnesses, with platelets being particularly sought-after in dengue cases.

"We questioned these men about gangs in Prayagraj possibly passing off juice as platelets, but they said that wasn't happening — rather, blood plasma is being passed off as platelets," said the district police chief, Shailesh Pandey.

"Dengue has spread a lot in the recent days, shooting up the demand for platelets. That's what these men were taking advantage of that and defrauding mostly poor people," said the officer.

He added that the arrests had been made as a result of a tip-off and that plasma bags were also seized along with some cash, cell phones, and automobiles.

Additionally, Mr Pandey stated that 12 people were recently detained for allegedly providing blood in Prayagraj in an illegal manner.

When questioned about the Thursday case involving the closing of a private hospital for allegedly transfusing fruit juice rather than blood platelets, he responded, "A sample is being sent to a laboratory and a correct picture will emerge only after an examination."

After a video of the purported incident with the "juice" allegation went viral, the hospital was sealed. According to officials, the patient, Pradeep Pandey, was transferred to another hospital where he passed away after his health deteriorated.

At the neighbourhood police station, an FIR has been filed in relation to the incident.

According to the owner of the private hospital, the patient had an adverse reaction after receiving three transfusions of platelets brought from a separate medical facility.