New Delhi: The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has dismantled a sophisticated pan-India counterfeit medicine racket, arresting six key members, including the alleged kingpin.
Acting on a tip-off from an anonymous informant, the Crime Branch launched an investigation into the syndicate, which was engaged in the manufacturing, packaging, and distribution of fake life-saving medicines under the names of reputed pharmaceutical companies such as Johnson & Johnson, GSK, and Alkem.
The operation commenced following intelligence about a consignment of counterfeit medicines arriving in Delhi. On July 30, a trap was laid at a CNG fuel station in Civil Lines, where a WagonR car transporting fake Ultracet and Augmentin 625 tablets was intercepted. Two suspects, Alam and Saleem from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, were apprehended on the spot. Verification by company representatives, along with lab tests, confirmed that the seized drugs were counterfeit. Subsequent investigations uncovered an elaborate interstate network operating across Moradabad, Deoria, and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh; Jind and Panipat in Haryana; and Baddi and Solan in Himachal Pradesh. Two illegal manufacturing units were found—one in Jind, Haryana, and another in Parwanoo, Solan, Himachal Pradesh—where fake drugs were produced using packaging that closely resembled genuine products.
The accused communicated via encrypted apps and used fictitious bank accounts and hawala channels to manage financial transactions. Kingpin Rajesh Mishra (52), a Gorakhpur resident with prior experience in the pharmaceutical industry, masterminded the operation. He oversaw production through Parmanand, who operated an unauthorised unit named ‘Laxmi Maa Pharma’ in Jind.
Raids resulted in the seizure of over 90,000 counterfeit tablets and capsules, including 9,015 Ultracet, 6,100 Augmentin 625, 1,200 Pan-40, 25,650 Amoxycillin, 12,000 Proyco SPAS, and steroids such as Kanacort injections. Blister packaging machines, foils, raw materials, and branded boxes were also confiscated.
Digital forensics led to the arrest of four others—Zuvaier, Prem Shankar Prajapati, Rajesh Mishra, and Parmanand—linked to logistics, manufacturing, and distribution. Seized mobile data revealed coded contacts and social media links to unlicensed rural practitioners or “jhola chaap doctors.”
All six are in police custody. Investigations are ongoing to trace the full network, including sources of raw material and illicit funding channels.