Lucknow: Prayagraj Police in UP have arrested 10 men for allegedly selling blood plasma as platelets to families of dengue patients. According to the police sources, a dengue patient died in a private hospital allegedly passing off sweet lime (mosambi) juice as platelets.

This allegation is not yet proved; we are waiting for the lab report. The arrested persons were taking plasma from blood banks and repackaging them as platelets both are components of blood but used to treat different ailments, with platelets being high in demand in dengue cases.

Prayagraj SP Shailesh Pandey said that the accused persons told about gangs in Prayagraj possibly passing off juice as platelets. They said that wasn’t happening rather, blood plasma is being passed off as platelets. 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, he said.

The police arrested the accused persons on a tip-off and seized plasma pouches, some cash, mobile phones and vehicles, he added. Local police has been an FIR on the incident.