Eight held in Delhi for selling fake cancer drugs sourced from abroad

Eight men were arrested in Delhi for a racket selling counterfeit anti-cancer drugs. The operation, led by Naveen Arya, involved high-value medications.

Eight men working as chemists and medical representatives across Delhi were arrested for allegedly running a racket involving counterfeit, unauthorised, or spurious anti-cancer drugs sourced from countries such as Egypt, Turkey, and others in Asia, police said on Thursday. Fake medicines worth crores were also seized.

Among the drugs recovered were high-value cancer treatments like Opdivo, Pembrolizumab, Cetuximab, Lenvatinib, and seven other critical injections and capsules. (Representational image)

Among the drugs recovered were high-value cancer treatments like Opdivo, Pembrolizumab, Cetuximab, Lenvatinib, and seven other critical injections and capsules.

Police said the gang was allegedly led by 41-year-old Naveen Arya — a PhD scholar and law graduate — who had operated a shop in Chandni Chowk’s Bhagirath Palace for over four years. Arya and his wife are absconding, while his associates have been arrested.

Arya is a repeat offender, police said. In April 2024, he was arrested along with three others, including a Syrian national, for illegally importing and exporting cancer drugs and the diabetes drug Ozempic. Though sent to jail, he was granted bail in August last year.

“After his release, Arya resumed operations but did not use his shop this time,” said DCP (Crime) Vikram Singh. “Instead, he and his associates trawled B2B platforms where patients and caregivers seek medicines, posing as genuine sellers and luring them with prices far below market rate.”

Medicines were delivered either through couriers or by hand via Arya’s network.

The crackdown followed a tip-off received last week by a team led by inspector Ashish Sharma and ACP Yashpal Singh. Raids were conducted at shops in Laxmi Nagar, Bhagirath Palace, and Buddh Vihar.

Among those arrested were Neeraj Kumar and Anil Kumar, partners in a pharma firm in Laxmi Nagar; Dhanesh Sharma (23) and Dheeraj Kumar, who worked as agents in Buddh Vihar; and Rohit Bhati and Jyoti Grover from Bhagirath Palace. On Thursday, two more — Naveen Saini and Krishna Kumar — were arrested for delivering medicines on Arya’s behalf.

Investigators said the medicines, typically priced between ₹1 lakh and ₹3 lakh, were sold for ₹30,000 to ₹50,000. Most were unregistered, unauthorized, or labelled “Not for Sale in India.”

“They mainly targeted young buyers searching online for discounted medicines for themselves or their parents. Most victims are from Delhi-NCR, though we’ve also traced cases in Mumbai,” said an investigator.

Searches are ongoing for Arya and his wife, who fled their residence in Delhi, police said.