Fly trap: Ghanashyam Sarda after his arrest from Calcutta airport. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta.

Calcutta, Nov. 10: The government opposed the bail prayer of blood test kit scam accused Ghanashyam Sarda in the high court today saying that sleuths were leaving for Hong Kong, from where Monozyme India Ltd sourced the kits.

“After interrogating Ghanashyam Sarda, former managing director of Monozyme India Ltd, the investigators felt it necessary to travel to a few other states of the country and also to Hong Kong to gather more information on the scam,” advocate-general Balai Ray told the court.

Owned by his brother Govind, Monozyme supplied kits past expiry dates to blood banks over the past year and a half. There are fears that contaminated blood, which the faulty kits could not identify, has been given to thousands.

Ghanashyam was the Monozyme managing director from April 2005 to August 2006. “During his tenure, the company imported the faulty kits and distributed them to the 19 regional blood banks,” said a lawyer assisting Ray.

Sarda’s advocate S.K. Kapoor said: “My client, who has no part to play in the company, was falsely implicated in the case. His health condition is very poor and he had to be hospitalised yesterday… kindly release him on bail.”

The division bench of Justice P.N. Sinha and Justice P.S. Dutta reserved its ruling till Tuesday.

Kapoor added that two employees of the company, who were charged with misappropriation of funds, had lodged a false complaint alleging Ghanashyam’s involvement in the scam. “After he is released on bail, he will fully co-operate in the investigation.”

The advocate-general told the court that the investigators have been receiving reports of faulty HIV and hepatitis test kits, supplied by the Sardas, from other states as well. “Ghanashyam was the man responsible for smuggling in foreign exchange through Govind and his wife,” Ray said.

Ghanashyam was also ac- cused of not co-operating with the investigating agencies.

“They want more inform-ation from him. Considering the seriousness of the crime, where the question of public health is involved, the court should give more time to the investigators,” Ray urged.

Police arrested Ghanashyam from Calcutta airport while he was trying to flee the city. Ray said: “If his bail is granted, he might try to escape from the country.”