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A suspected counterfeit medicine racket has been uncovered in Bengaluru, prompting an investigation by a Special Investigation Team and the Drugs Control Department. Investigators suspect expired and rebranded low-cost medicines, including cancer drugs, were supplied at steep discounts to more than ninety hospitals and clinics across the city. A pharmacy owner linked to a raided healthcare facility near Minerva Circle has been arrested. The crackdown follows an earlier raid at a farmhouse in Bengaluru South District, where counterfeit medicines worth five crore rupees, fake labels, and filling equipment were seized. The probe has expanded across Karnataka, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra to trace the supply network.
Transcript
00:00Welcome back. Let's turn to our Get Real India story and it's coming from Bengaluru today where a suspected counterfeit
00:07medicine racket has been busted with investigators suspecting fake drugs having reached more than 90 hospitals and clinics.
00:15A pharmacy owner has been arrested after a major seizure of alleged counterfeit medicines.
00:21Investigators now say the trail could stretch across multiple states and this could only be the tip of the iceberg
00:27when it comes to fake drugs.
00:30Take a look.
00:38A suspected counterfeit medicine racket is uncovered in Bengaluru.
00:43Investigators suspect fake or repackaged medicines were supplied to more than 90 hospitals and clinics across the city.
00:53A joint investigation by the Bengaluru Police Special Investigation Team and the Drugs Control Department has led to the arrest
00:59of a pharmacy owner, Viresh Kumar Jain.
01:03The probe gained momentum after officials raided Krupa Healthcare near Minerva Circle, where a large quantity of alleged counterfeit medicines
01:12were recovered.
01:14Investigators suspect the network was supplying fake medicines, allegedly at discounts of nearly 50%.
01:24Right now, this particular healthcare has been shut down and seized.
01:28According to police, this particular Krupa Healthcare used to rebrand low-cost cancer medicine.
01:36Not only rebranding, they used to relabel expired medicines and used to supply to all the hospitals, medical shops and
01:46clinics.
01:47The investigation is linked to an earlier raid conducted on August 18th at a farmhouse in the Bidadi and Dodderi
01:55area of Bengaluru South District.
01:57Authorities seized alleged counterfeit medicines worth around 5 crore rupees in the raid.
02:03Fake invoices, injection-filling equipment and counterfeit labels were also seized.
02:09The seizure led investigators to expand the probe.
02:13Coordinated searches were conducted at locations in Tarnataka, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
02:22Investigators subsequently traced the suspected supply chain to Krupa Healthcare and Viresh Kumar.
02:29The SIT and Drugs Control Department are trying to identify the hospitals that may have received the fake medicines.
02:36We have cracked the mafia of the mislabeling and fake drugs.
02:43And we have formed an SIT.
02:45Karnataka is the first one to crack such a big scam.
02:48During this time, I don't want to say anything.
02:50I like to tell the people, don't get confused.
02:52In social media, there are various reports that are coming, 90 hospitals, 60 hospitals, 50 hospitals.
02:58No one knows this, no one has revealed anything.
03:00Let the SIT report comes and then there will be a zero tolerance.
03:06No one will be spared in our states.
03:11According to investigators, the racket allegedly procured low-cost medicines and rebranded them under different names.
03:21Authorities also suspect that expired medicines were repackaged in fresh containers and fitted with counterfeit labels.
03:30With Sagaraj, Bureau Report, India Today.
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