Ghaziabad Police bust fake Himalaya Drug ring across 2 states
What's the story
The Ghaziabad police have busted a major counterfeit drug operation after receiving a complaint from the Himalayan company about fake versions of its product, Liv.52, being sold in the market, Hindustan Times reported. The complaint was filed on January 3 and alleged that counterfeit products were being manufactured and supplied to local shops. This prompted an extensive investigation by the police, officials said on Sunday.
Investigation details
Police track supply chain of fake medicines
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Surendra Nath Tewari said the company alleged that "fake goods were supplied from Muradnagar and distributed in Aligarh." Acting on this information, the police registered a case at Muradnagar police station and began tracking the supply chain. The interrogation revealed how quickly the racket expanded with unusually high margins on these fake tablets.
Manufacturing process
Counterfeit tablets were manufactured in Haryana
The accused admitted that the counterfeit Liv.52 tablets were manufactured by a company in Haryana, and the packaging material was sourced from Meerut. They revealed that preparing one box of counterfeit medicine costs them between ₹35 and ₹40. These boxes were then supplied to the market at ₹110-115, undercutting the original brand's MRP of ₹280 per box.
Operation outcome
Police recover around 50,000 counterfeit tablets
After registering the FIR, the Muradnagar police team launched a technical investigation with assistance from the SWAT unit. This led them to several suspects who were called in for questioning and admitted their involvement in the operation. The police also recovered around 50,000 counterfeit tablets during this operation. "Our investigation is ongoing," DCP Tewari said, adding they are looking into other individuals involved, and further action will be taken accordingly.