Fake Drugs Worth Rs 7.35 Cr Being Supplied To Odisha Seized, 1 Held In UP

Bhubaneswar: Another man was arrested and fake medicines worth over Rs 7.35 crore were seized in Uttar Pradesh in connection with the recovery of spurious drugs in two districts of Odisha reportedly procured from the northern state.

The arrest was made after the Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh carried out a raid at a house in Sigra area on Wednesday, official sources said on Thursday.

The operation was launched by UP STF on the basis of informaition given by Odisha’s Health department to the Uttar Pradesh government after fake drugs seizure in Bargarh and Jharsuguda districts. The seized fake medicines had allegedly been procured from Uttar Pradesh.

The accused, identified as Ashok Kumar of Bulandshahar under Secunderabad police limits in UP, was nabbed during the raid.

Based on his confession, UP police raided another godown in Lahartara where a huge quantity of fake drugs were recovered. The value of the spurious drugs was estimated at around Rs 7.35 crore. Cash worth Rs 4 lakh was also recovered from the spot, the sources said.

It is said to be one of biggest spurious drug racket busted. Interrogation of the accused is on.

It may be noted here that a huge quantity of fake drugs were seized from two agencies in Jharsuguda and Bargarh districts in December last year. Investigation revealed that the spurious drugs were supplied from three Varanasi-based firms whose drug licenses had been cancelled, as per information provided by the UP government.