Counterfeit drug unit busted in Ghaziabad, two arrested

The Delhi Police have busted a major interstate racket allegedly involved in the manufacturing, repackaging and nationwide sale of spurious Schedule-H medicines, including skin oitnments. The police located a manufacturing unit at Meerpur Hindu village in the Loni area of Ghaziabad and seized counterfeit drugs and raw material worth over Rs 2.3 crore.

The accused were engaged in producing and selling counterfeit versions of popular prescription ointments, including Betnovate-C and Clop-G, which are widely used for treating skin infections, allergies and sports-related injuries. The seized material included 1,200 tubes of spurious Betnovate-C ointment, over 2,700 tubes of fake Clop-G, more than 3,700 tubes of spurious Skin-Shine ointment, nearly 22,000 empty fake Clop-G tubes, over 350 kilograms of semi-prepared ointment, besides chemicals and manufacturing equipment.

The two accused, identified as Gaurav Bhagat and Shree Ram, alias Vishal Gupta of northeast Delhi’s Sabhapur, have been arrested. According to a statement issued by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Delhi Crime Branch) Aditya Gautam, the spurious medicines were sold as genuine branded products, posing a serious risk to public health.

Acting on inputs, the Crime Branch team first conducted a raid at Teliwara in Sadar Bazar, one of the country’s largest wholesale pharmaceutical and cosmetic markets.

During the raid, a large quantity of counterfeit Schedule-H ointments was recovered. Subsequent technical analysis and follow-up intelligence led the team to a manufacturing unit operating at Meerpur Hindu village in the Loni area of Ghaziabad.

“A search on the premises resulted in the recovery of counterfeit medicines. Large quantities of raw chemicals, packing material, empty tubes bearing forged brand labels and machinery used for mixing, filling and sealing ointments, were found,” the DCP said.

He said drug inspectors from the North and Central Zones of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, along with authorised representatives of the concerned pharmaceutical companies, conducted spot inspections and drew samples from the seized stock. They confirmed that the medicines were counterfeit and neither manufactured nor supplied by their companies. The accused were also found to be operating without any valid licence to manufacture, store or sell pharmaceutical products. The police said an FIR was registered at the Crime Branch police station.