Chalk powder to adulterate medicines: How Telangana’s ‘Operation JAI’ busted an illegal racket in Uttarakhand

Drug Control Administration of Telangana, Commissioner’s Task Force, Hyderabad, and Malakpet Police worked jointly to carry out 'Operation JAI'.

BySouth First Desk

Published Mar 01, 2024 | 2:18 PM ⚊UpdatedMar 01, 2024 | 2:42 PM

The special team seized 38,350 tablets of counterfeit Omnicef-O 200, 60.27 kg of orange-coloured tablets, 65.27 kg of white-coloured tablets, 30.18 kg of counterfeit Omnicef-O 200 aluminium foil, and 33.45 kg of counterfeit Omnicef-O 200 cartons from Nectar Herbs and Drugs. (Supplied)

In a joint operation named “Operation JAI,” the Drug Control Administration (DCA) of Telangana, Commissioner’s Task Force, Hyderabad, and Malakpet Police successfully dismantled an inter-state network involved in the illegal manufacturing and supply of spurious/counterfeit drugs. The operation exposed a manufacturing unit, Nectar Herbs and Drugs, located in Kotdwar, Uttarakhand.

“For the first time, a meticulously coordinated inter-state operation named ‘Operation JAI’ was executed by the Drug Control Administration, Telangana, Commissioner’s Task Force, Hyderabad, and Malakpet Police,” said Director General of the DCA, VB Kamalasan Reddy IPS in a statement.

He added, “Nectar Herbs and Drugs, located in Kotdwar, Uttarakhand, was found to be manufacturing counterfeit drugs (spurious drugs) and distributing them to several states, including Telangana.”

Also Read: Counterfeit medicines in Telangana: How drug officials are identifying fake drugs

Details of the operation

Acting on intelligence gathered regarding the movement of spurious drugs, the DCA and officers from the Commissioner’s Task Force conducted a raid at Malakpet on 27 February. The operation led to the discovery of 27,200 spurious tablets of the antibiotic “Mpod-200” (Cefpodoxime Proxetil & Lactic Acid Bacillus tablets) worth ₹7.34 lakh. The tablets were falsely labelled as manufactured by a fictitious company, “Meg Lifesciences”.

Accused (L-R): Gandla Ramulu, Vangari Naveen, Aravapalli Satyanarayana. (Supplied)

The subsequent investigation revealed a network involving individuals such as Aravapalli Satyanarayana, Vangari Naveen, and Gandla Ramulu. Satyanarayana was caught selling spurious drug stocks to Vangari Naveen near Moosarambagh X Roads. Upon enquiry, he revealed that he had purchased the spurious medicines from Gandla Ramulu of Meerpet.

Further interrogation unveiled the involvement of Vishad Kumar of Nectar Herbs and Drugs in Kotdwar, Uttarakhand. Ramulu revealed that the spurious drugs were received from Vishad Kumar, who manufactures the drugs at Nectar Herbs and Drugs along with a person named Sachin Kumar.

The Joint Action Team led special teams to Uttarakhand. A surprise raid on 29 February on Nectar Herbs and Drugs uncovered the manufacturing of counterfeit/spurious Cefixime Tablets IP 200 mg, falsely labeled as “Omnicef-O 200” tablets. The drug was falsely labelled as manufactured by “Aristo Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd”.

Sachin Kumar of Roorkee, Uttarakhand, was identified as the prime perpetrator, manufacturing spurious drugs using fake labels of reputed companies. Sachin had the counterfeit labels, including aluminum foils and cartons, manufactured at Vaishnavi Printing Press in Bhagvanpur, Roorkee.

Vishad Kumar, CEO of Nectar Herbs and Drugs, facilitated Sachin Kumar’s operations for a payment of ₹35,000 for 1,00,000 dummy spurious tablets. Bhavana, a worker at Nectar Herbs and Drugs, manufactured dummy tablets with chalk powder upon intimation from Sachin.

During interrogation, Sachin revealed that he manufactured spurious drugs of reputed companies such as GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Alkem, Aristo, and Cipla. Counterfeits of Augmentin-625, Clavum-625, Omnicef-O 200, Montair-LC, etc, were manufactured at Nectar Herbs and Drugs, Uttarakhand.

“Sachin Kumar, Vishad Kumar, and Bhavana are involved in the manufacturing of spurious drugs at Nectar Herbs and Drugs in Uttarakhand and distributing them to several states across the country through couriers,” the DCA said in the statement.

Also Read: Drugs made as ‘food products’ in Haryana are being sold in Telangana

Arrests and seizures

The team that raided Nectar Herbs and Drugs with the accused Vishad Kumar and Sachin Kumar. (Supplied)

Prime accused Sachin Kumar and Vishad Kumar were apprehended by the special team, leading to the seizure of 38,350 tablets of counterfeit Omnicef-O 200, 60.27 kg of orange-coloured tablets, 65.27 kg of white-coloured tablets, 30.18 kg of counterfeit Omnicef-O 200 aluminium foil, and 33.45 kg of counterfeit Omnicef-O 200 cartons.

The raid on Nectar Herbs and Drugs resulted in the seizure of stocks worth ₹44.33 lakh.

Inter-state arrests have been made and a case has been registered against the offenders. “Further investigation will be carried out, and action will be taken as per the law against all the offenders,” the DG said in the statement.

The dismantling of this spurious drug manufacturing unit marks a significant victory in the fight against illegal drug operations. “Spurious drugs are a major threat to public health. Spurious drugs place the patient’s health at grave risk. Spurious drugs not only fail to cure the disease but over time, create disastrous consequences for the patient,” said the DG in the statement.