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Pharmacy Owner Arrested in Fake Cancer Drug Scandal in Bengaluru
Confirmed
In Short: Bengaluru police have arrested the owner of a pharmacy suspected of supplying counterfeit medicines to over 90 hospitals and clinics.
The police said on Saturday that they have arrested the owner of a pharmacy, Veeresh Kumar Jain, in connection with a suspected large-scale counterfeit medicine racket in Bengaluru.
Acting on leads from an earlier case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and Drugs Control Department raided Krupa Healthcare near Minerva Circle, seizing a large stock of suspected counterfeit medicines.
Investigators suspect the network supplied counterfeit cancer drugs, other life-saving medicines, and ICU injections to more than 90 hospitals and clinics in Bengaluru, offering them at discounts of around 50 per cent.
The pharmacy in Minerva Circle is suspected to have been used as a storage point before the medicines were distributed to medical shops, hospitals, and clinics.
Based on information gathered during the earlier investigation, the SIT and Drugs Control Department carried out simultaneous searches at more than 10 locations across six states, including Karnataka, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra.
Officials recovered suspected counterfeit medicines, documents relating to their transportation and distribution, fake bills, and details of medicine batches during the search.
The owner of Krupa Healthcare, Veeresh Kumar, is currently the only person arrested in the case, with the investigation ongoing to uncover the full extent of the counterfeit medicine network.
What's confirmed
- A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Bengaluru police and the Drugs Control Department have uncovered a suspected large-scale counterfeit medicine racket in Bengaluru.
- Investigators suspect the network supplied counterfeit cancer drugs, other life-saving medicines and ICU injections to more than 90 hospitals and clinics in Bengaluru, allegedly offering them at discounts of around 50 per cent.
What's still developing
- Investigators had then seized suspected fake medicines worth nearly Rs 5 crore, along with fake invoices, medicine-filling equipment and counterfeit labels.