Bengaluru fake drug racket: Khader says ₹5 crore drugs seized; 90+ hospitals, clinics under investigation | Best Update | Today’s news
Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister UT Khader said the state government had busted suspected large-scale counterfeit drugs in Bengaluru, alleging that the network had cross-state ramifications and could supply fake drugs and ICU injections to hospitals and clinics.
In a post on X, Khader said the Karnataka Health & Family Welfare Department and Food Safety and Drug Administration raided a farm near Bidadi toll gate on August 18 and seized suspected fake and expired medicines worth nearly ₹5 million crowns.
The SITs were formed after the Bidadi raid
According to Khader, the state government had on August 19 constituted a six-member special investigation team (SIT), headed by a senior IPS officer, to conduct the inter-state probe.
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The Karnataka government has raided a farm, seized fake medicines worth nearly ₹5 crore and formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the fake medicine ring.
The racket involved the supply of counterfeit life-saving drugs and ICU injections to more than 90 hospitals and clinics, posing significant health risks to patients relying on these essential drugs.
Authorities discovered the network during a raid on August 18, 2023, where they found a large quantity of suspected counterfeit and expired drugs, prompting further investigation.
Investigations suggest that the counterfeit drug ring may have links beyond Karnataka, with more than 15 medical representatives suspected of facilitating the movement of drugs across state borders.
No, all hospitals and nursing homes in Karnataka have been instructed not to use the seized drugs as they are suspected to be fake.
The SIT includes officials from the Food Safety & Drug Administration and Commercial Taxes.
Khader said preliminary investigations found that the network was buying cheap bulk drugs from manufacturing centers in Telangana and Himachal Pradesh, filling them in new bottles at the Bidadi plant and rebranding them as premium imported brands of multinational companies.
He also claimed that among the drugs involved were counterfeit Pfizer drugs meant for ICU patients and wards.
Pharmacy owner arrested
The SIT and drug control department later raided Krupa Healthcare near Minerva Circle in Bengaluru where they seized a large stock of suspected fake medicines.
Police have arrested the owner of the pharmacy, Veeresh Kumar Jain, as part of the investigation.
According to reports, the pharmacy was allegedly used as a warehouse prior to the distribution of drugs to medical stores, hospitals and clinics.
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More than 90 hospitals, clinics under investigation
The network allegedly supplied counterfeit cancer drugs, other life-saving drugs and ICU injections to more than 90 hospitals and clinics in Bengaluru and allegedly offered them at discounts of around 50%.
According to a survey cited by the Indian Express report, cheap drugs were allegedly rebranded and sold under different names, while expired drugs were allegedly repackaged in new containers with fake labels resembling those of reputed pharmaceutical companies.
Interstate connections are being investigated
Investigation revealed that the suspected racket may have spread beyond Karnataka. More than 15 medical representatives are suspected of facilitating the movement of drugs.
Police suspect that Veeresh Kumar ran the business for about five years and allegedly had links with Prashant, who investigators identified as a key accused and the alleged leader of the network.
Prashant is absconding and efforts are on to trace him. Veeresh Kumar is currently the only person arrested in the case.
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Karnataka seeks Centre’s help
Khader said that the complete list of suspected fake and counterfeit drugs has been shared with the Union government and all state governments.
Every hospital and nursing home in Karnataka has also been instructed not to use the seized medicines.
Khader said he had written to Union Health Minister JP Nadda on August 19 seeking the support of CDSCO and central regulatory agencies to map the suspected supply chain and stop the nationwide distribution of counterfeit drugs.
After the Bidadi raid, the SIT expanded its investigation and conducted coordinated searches at more than 10 locations across Karnataka, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
