20 lakh litres of sanitiser found in drums and buckets at a Pataudi house

The team allegedly recovered 20,000 such labels and 20 lakh litres of sanitiser stored in several drums and buckets. The factory was operating out of a house in Pataudi area.

Acting on a tip-off, the drug control department in a joint raid with the police on Wednesday raided a hand sanitiser manufacturing unit in Pataudi, which was allegedly running without a drug manufacturing license and arrested two persons from the spot. The team recovered one lakh bottles of 500ml capacity each filled with the sanitiser. The label on the product said it was alcohol hand rub, killed viruses, and was made of 70% or more alcohol-based formula.

As per the report prepared by the department, hand sanitiser was filled in the bottles from the buckets and drums with taps. (REUTERS)

The team allegedly recovered 20,000 such labels and 20 lakh litres of sanitiser stored in several drums and buckets. The factory was operating out of a house in Pataudi area.

As per the report prepared by the department, hand sanitiser was filled in the bottles from the buckets and drums with taps. No machines were being used.

The house was constructed over 500 square yards and was double-storeyed, comprising six big rooms on two floors, the police said.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the food and drugs control department has launched an operation to check places manufacturing illegal hand sanitiser and masks, which are being sold on the black market across the district, officials said.

Amandeep Chauhan, drug control officer, said that he formed a team of officials from the department and the police after receiving information on Wednesday around 2pm. “We raided the house and found several drums and buckets of hand sanitiser. When we asked the owner to produce the requisite documents, he could not do so. They were manufacturing without a valid license,” he said.

The officials said when the teams asked the owners to produce the purchase records of the raw material used for manufacturing hand sanitiser, they produced fake certificates that had allegedly been bought for ₹40,000 from Delhi.

Chauhan said since the demand for alcohol-based hand sanitiser has increased due to the Covid-19 outbreak, several illicit manufacturing units have mushroomed across the state. “They have already sold hand sanitiser worth ₹35 lakh in the last one month in Manesar industrial areas, and Bawal and Rewari markets before the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) authorities were tipped off and raided the unit,” he added.

According to the police, the directors of the company are Class 12 graduates and started manufacturing sanitiser to make a quick buck during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Muhammad Akil, the commissioner of police, said that a team from the Sector 40 police station raided the house on Wednesday afternoon and found a copy of a CE Certificate, WHO GMP Certificate, and ISO and test reports for the hand sanitiser issued by a research laboratory located in DLF Phase 2. When the officials checked the certificates and confirmed with the authorities, they found them to be fake. “During the search, it was found that they manufactured the hand sanitiser by mixing ingredients in a silver container, which is generally used as a cooking utensil, and using a motor fixed with paddles,” he said.

The police said the house was in a bad condition: flies and mosquito-like insects were in abundance. The manufacturers allegedly did not take measures to avoid the risk of contamination from the environment, open sewage, drains and a public lavatory.

The manufacturers did not disclose the source of water or produce a water test report. There was water stored in tanks, which may have adversely affected its quality. The water tank was not cleaned and there was visible sand in the water, the police said.

“The environment of the manufacturing premises was very filthy and unhygienic, which may have contaminated the sanitiser with filth and rendered it injurious to health. This was evident from the storage area where alcohol drums were stored adjoining to the washroom which was in an unhygienic condition,” Akil said.

A case under sections 471 (using forged documents), 467 (Forgery of valuable security), 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating), 420 (cheating), 34 (common intention), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 120 B (conspiracy), Sections 51 of disaster management act, 2005 and sections 27(D), 27 (B) and 27 A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, was registered at the Pataudi police station on Wednesday night.

Amit Khatri, deputy commissioner of Gurugram, said that they have formed teams to check if factories manufacturing masks and hand sanitiser are involved in black marketing. “Strict action will be taken against those found involved in any illegal trade during ongoing lockdown,” he said.