Bengaluru Fake Drug Racket: Prime Suspect Arrested At KIA Airport After Fleeing To Azerbaijan
The SIT had arrested R Prashanth Babu at Kempegowda International Airport after a lookout notice was issued against him in connection with the alleged multi-state counterfeit medicine racket
SIT arrests alleged key accused in Bengaluru fake medicine racket after arrival from Sharjah
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Bengaluru Police has arrested alleged kingpin R Prashanth Babu in connection with a multi-state fake medicine racket, after he arrived at Kempegowda International Airport from Sharjah, UAE, on Monday morning.
Babu, a medical representative and resident of Papareddypalya in Bengaluru, was arrested around 5.30 am after landing from Sharjah, police said.
A lookout notice had been issued against him after he allegedly fled the country and was reportedly traced to Azerbaijan.
The arrest followed a joint operation by the police and Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) officials on August 18, during which suspected counterfeit and expired medicines, packaging material, fake bills, injection-filling equipment and counterfeit labels worth around Rs 5 crore were seized from an unlicensed facility near Tavarekere in Bidadi, in Bengaluru South district.
Investigators have alleged that the racket involved the manufacture, repackaging and relabelling of medicines, including cancer drugs and other life-saving medicines and ICU injections.
According to the investigation, the network allegedly supplied the medicines to more than 90 hospitals and clinics in Bengaluru, offering them at discounts of nearly 50 per cent.
How the alleged racket operated
The racket allegedly sourced cheap and substandard generic medicines, expired medicines and low-cost cancer drugs from illegal manufacturing units in several States, including Telangana and Himachal Pradesh. The medicines were then allegedly brought to an unlicensed facility at a farmhouse near the Bidadi toll gate, where they were repackaged into new vials and packages.
Investigators further alleged that forged labels, stamps and boxes bearing the names of prominent pharmaceutical companies were used to make the medicines appear to be expensive branded products. The racket came to light after a labourer in C K Tandya village near Dodderi noticed discarded pharmaceutical waste, including vials, tubes and powder, dumped in a field.
The labourer alerted Shivaraj, a constable attached to Tavarekere Police Station. Shivaraj reportedly visited the spot in plain clothes, collected samples and informed senior officials.
Acting on the information, FSDA officials along with local police raided a farmhouse in Kurubara Karenahalli near the Bidadi toll gate. The authorities allegedly found an unlicensed unit being used for manufacturing, repackaging and relabelling medicines.
Police have so far arrested eight accused in connection with the case, including alleged kingpin Veeresh Kumar Jain, who was allegedly operating the Krupa Health Care unit at Minerva Circle.
The investigation into the alleged multi-state network and the source and distribution of the counterfeit medicines is continuing.