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Govt to constitute SIT to probe fake medicine network: Min
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has decided to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the suspected network involved in manufacturing and distributing counterfeit medicines and branded pharmaceutical products, health minister U T Khader said on Wednesday
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has decided to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the suspected network involved in manufacturing and distributing counterfeit medicines and branded pharmaceutical products, health minister U T Khader said on Wednesday.
The decision comes after authorities uncovered a suspected fake medicine manufacturing and packaging unit at a farmhouse near C K Thandya village, close to Dodderi in Bengaluru South district.
Officials found a setup allegedly used for manufacturing, packaging and labelling medicines using the names of reputed multinational pharmaceutical companies. Bottles were reportedly being labelled, capped and prepared for distribution in the market. Some expired products were also found during the inspection, raising concerns over possible health risks.
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“Fake branded medicines and cosmetics are being manufactured and supplied through a network. We have decided to constitute an SIT to investigate the entire network and identify the people and organisations involved,” Khader said.
He said the authorities were particularly concerned over the alleged manufacture of counterfeit injections, including medicines used in intensive care units.
“Medicines from other states and countries were allegedly brought here and labels of multinational companies were put on them before they were sold. Even ICU medicines have been counterfeited. We need to find out which hospitals and medical stores received these products and whether patients were affected,” he said.
The farmhouse belongs to a person identified as Siddaiah and had reportedly been leased to Prashanth, who is currently believed to be in Dubai. Police have detained a person identified as Prabhudev in connection with the case.
Khader said the investigation indicated that the suspected network could extend beyond Karnataka, with links being examined in states including Himachal Pradesh and Telangana.
“We will examine the entire chain, including the source of the medicines, the distribution network and the hospitals to which they may have reached. The SIT will help us investigate the matter comprehensively,” he said.
SP Srinivas Gowda gave more details about the operation carried out on Tuesday night.
We received information about suspicious movement of vehicles and boxes being loaded at a farmhouse near Dodderi village. Our beat staff Shivraju and Raghu alerted us, following which our team conducted a raid and uncovered the suspected fake medicine racket,” South district superintendent of police Srinivas Gowda said.
“During the inspection, we found medicines suspected to be counterfeit and immediately informed the drug control department. Police and drug control officials jointly inspected the premises and confirmed the presence of counterfeit medicines,” he said.
“Our investigation indicates that high-end medicines used in intensive care units were being targeted. The accused allegedly procured medicines at lower prices, replaced the original packaging and labels with those of foreign pharmaceutical companies and supplied them to the market. We are investigating where these medicines were supplied and how extensive the network is,” Gowda said.
“One person has been arrested and two others are being questioned. We are also investigating whether more people are involved in the racket and identifying the locations where the medicines were supplied,” he said.
“The prime accused, Prashanth, is currently abroad. We are making efforts to secure his arrest at the earliest. The case has been registered based on a complaint from the drug control department and the investigation is continuing,” Gowda said.
“The farmhouse, spread over around 10 acres, was reportedly leased by Prashanth for agricultural purposes at an annual rent of about ₹10 lakh. We are examining whether the premises were used for manufacturing and repackaging the counterfeit medicines,” he added.
