Talcum powder, starch used in antibiotics supplied to government hospitals
A 1,200-page chargesheet has revealed that antibiotics distributed to government hospitals in Nagpur were made from talcum powder mixed with starch. The counterfeit drugs were produced in a Haridwar-based veterinary medicine laboratory and supplied across India, including Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. The funds for these fake medicines were sourced through hawala channels used by racketeers to transfer large sums of money from Mumbai to Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
Main offender and accomplices in fake medicine racket identified
Hemant Muley has been identified as the main offender in this case, having participated in the tender to supply these counterfeit medicines. Two others, Mihir Trivedi and Vijay Chaudhury, have also been charged with Chaudhury currently incarcerated for a separate fraud case. Chaudhury later implicated Saharanpur-based Robin Taneja alias Himanshu and Raman Taneja as his associates in this operation.
Investigation leads to arrest of laboratory owner
The investigation led to the Haridwar veterinary laboratory of Amit Dhiman, who was already in jail after being arrested by Uttarakhand STF. "We reached the Haridwar veterinary laboratory of Amit Dhiman after the Taneja brothers named him. Dhiman was in jail after being arrested by Uttarakhand STF. He was later arrested in our case too," said IPS officer Anil Mhaske.
State Food and Drug Administration busts fake medicine racket
The state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uncovered this racket in December 2023 when approximately 21,600 Ciprofloxacin 500mg tablets were seized from medicine stores under the Nagpur Civil Surgeon at Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH). "The samples were sent to the government laboratory for testing, and the results indicated a complete absence of medicinal value in the tablets," stated the FDA.
Fake antibiotics distributed in government-run civil hospitals
The counterfeit antibiotic tablets, intended for treating bacterial infections ranging from urinary tract infections to pneumonia, were distributed in 2022 and 2023 across government-run civil hospitals within the district. This alarming case came to light after drug inspector Nitin Bhandarkar discovered that antibiotics supplied to a rural hospital at Kalmeshwar were fake. The suppliers and distributors were subsequently blacklisted by the civil surgeon's office.
