The Sion police probing into the case of medical waste seized on Thursday will be questioning the owners and staff of SMS Logistics that have been given the contract to dispose the hazardous refuge by the BMC. The cops will also write to the civic body, asking it to take action against contractors flouting rules.

Traffic police blew the lid off an organized racket concerning hospital medical waste, sparking health concerns. During a nakabandi [road block] at Sion, the traffic police intercepted a tempo containing medical waste that the driver planned to resell instead of disposing. The driver, Mujahid Shaikh, 40, and his cleaner, Inayat Khan, 27, have been arrested. Both are Mankhurd residents.

Officials from the Matunga traffic division had conducted a nakabandi at BA Road in Sion on Thursday. “We came across a tempo smelling off antibiotics and stopped it on suspicion. The tempo was carrying a board which said that it was an ‘on-duty BMC’ vehicle, which it wasn’t. The tempo was carrying discarded gloves, syringes, bags, bottles etc. The driver admitted that he had purchased the medical waste, at the rate of Rs 15 per kg, from a company contacted by a south Mumbai-based hospital for disposal,” said senior inspector Sujata Patil, Matunga traffic division.

Around 5pm, the two accused and the tempo were handed over to the Sion police. “We will investigate if the hospital was aware of the racket,” said an official from Sion police.

Sion police have registered a case under sections 171 (wearing garb or carrying token used by public servant with fraudulent intent), 275 (sale of adulterated drugs), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 420 (cheating), of IPC. They will be produced before a magistrate court on Friday.