Fraud case slapped on pharmacy owner

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 11

Days after the sealing of Willmark Pharmaceutical Private Limited for allegedly manufacturing and selling banned drugs, the rural police have registered an FIR against its owner Rajiv Bhardwaj and his brother Rajan Bhardwaj for furnishing false details while applying for retention of drug licence.

According to information, they had filed a retention application in mid December last year before the assistant commissioner, food and drugs, Kharar as well as Amritsar. In the application, they mentioned that “no director of the firm was ever convicted under Drugs and Cosmetics Act.”

“Both were convicted by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Hisar (Haryana), on January 2014 and they were sentenced to three-year rigorous imprisonment and fine,” said SSP Parampal Singh. He said the duo managed to obtain the retention licence in a fraudulent manner by concealing the facts with an ulterior motive to illegally sale and manufacture the banned drugs. A case under Sections 420 and 177 of the IPC has been registered against them at the Gharinda Police Station. The SSP said a regular case would be registered at Kharar.

Rajan Bhardwaj has already been arrested but Rajiv Bhardwaj is at large.

The police zeroed in on them after arresting Karandeep Sharma, son of a former cop, with 40,000 intoxicating tablets on July 3. He had purchased the same for Rs 50,000. His interrogation revealed that he had procured the same after negotiating with the duo and was delivered to him by Bharat Bhushan, an employee of the company, who took a commission of Rs 5,000. He was also arrested. Later Rajan was arrested on July 8. The drug department cancelled their licence on July 27.