Karnataka fake drug racket: 5 in custody, prime accused traced abroad

Karnataka Police's SIT has nabbed five individuals in a counterfeit medicine case, tracing the prime accused to a country in Western Asia. Health Minister UT Khader confirmed the state's proactive role in dismantling the spurious drug network.

Major Breakthrough in Racket Probe

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Karnataka Police has taken five persons into custody in connection with the fake drug racket case and traced the prime accused, identified as Prashant, to a country in the South Caucasus region of Western Asia, with steps underway to secure his extradition to India, officials said.

The development marks a major breakthrough in the ongoing investigation into one of the state's counterfeit medicine networks. According to the SIT, searches have so far been conducted at more than 10 locations as part of the probe. Five persons have been taken into custody in connection with the case. Officials said Viresh Jain, one of the main accused allegedly involved in supplying the fake drugs, has also been interrogated by the SIT. The investigation is ongoing, with further action being taken to trace the involvement of other persons linked to the racket, officials added.

State Government's Proactive Enforcement

On Monday, setting the record straight amid reports of counterfeit pharmaceutical distribution, Karnataka Health & Family Welfare Minister UT Khader asserted that the state government itself proactively exposed and dismantled the spurious drug network, describing it as one of the largest enforcement crackdowns against counterfeit medicines in the country.

Reacting to news reports regarding the supply of counterfeit cancer drugs and essential critical-care injections to nearly 90 hospitals and clinics across Bengaluru, Khader outlined the chronological sequence of enforcement actions and inter-state investigations initiated by the state machinery. The minister revealed that the breakthrough occurred on August 18, when the Department of Health & Family Welfare, along with the Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration, conducted a raid on a farmhouse located near the Bidadi Toll Gate, seizing suspected expired and fake medicines valued at approximately ₹5 crore.

Modus Operandi of the Syndicate

Detailing the sophisticated modus operandi of the syndicate, Khader said the accused procured cheap bulk formulations from manufacturing hubs in Telangana and Himachal Pradesh, refilled them into new vials at the Bidadi facility, and fraudulently relabelled them as premium imported products of multinational pharmaceutical corporations, intended for intensive care units and serious ailments.

SIT Formed for Inter-State Investigation

He further added that an SIT team was formed to lead an inter-state investigation."We did not wait a single day. On August 19, after a discussion with CM DK Shivakumar & Home Minister Priyank Kharge, a six-member SIT was constituted, headed by a senior IPS officer to lead a major inter-state investigation, with officers of the Food Safety & Drug Administration and Commercial Taxes Departments on the team," Khader stated on X. (ANI)

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