A suspected gang member arrested for selling ventilators to hospitals illegally during the coronavirus crisis has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
The diagnosis comes after the Russian authorities shut down the gang in the Ramensky district of the Moscow Oblast in south-western Russia and arrested eight people on suspicion of selling old ventilators to hospitals with no documentation.
During the raid on a warehouse, which can be seen in the video, cops found 257 old ventilators and another 29 in the garage of one of the members of the gang, according to reports. Police officers also seized 11 mobile phones, a laptop and four cars in the operation.
After their detention, the suspects were sent for a medical examination where they underwent a tomography of the abdominal cavity.
During the procedure, doctors found the formations characteristic of COViD-19 in one of the man’s lungs and a preliminary test for coronavirus gave a positive result.
The suspect was hospitalised and is reportedly undergoing treatment. The other seven suspected gang members were taken to a pre-trial detention centre where they have also been quarantined.
The press service of the local department of the Russian Investigative Committee later reported that the approximate value of the seized items is 70 million RUB (767,800 GBP)
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Story By: Gheorghi Caraseni, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
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