Lucknow FSDA exposes organized counterfeit medicine network

The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) has uncovered an organized network involved in the distribution of counterfeit and suspicious medicines in Aminabad, Lucknow. Authorities have filed an FIR against four individuals under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) following investigations into fraudulent billing practices.

The accused include Ankur Awasthi of Health Plus, Manish Bajpayee of MK Pharma, Govind Shukla of Ram Pharma, and Ejaz Ahmed of Patient Care Surgical House. Investigators found that these firms engaged in fake billing, cross-billing, and paper-only transactions to simulate the purchase and sale of drugs without any actual physical supply. Notably, Patient Care Surgical House, based in Saharanpur, was reportedly closed for two years but was still being used for these paper transactions.

Significant discrepancies were found regarding MK Pharma, which claimed drug purchases worth approximately 8.87 crore rupees. Investigators could not account for 39.20 lakh Zoryl M1 tablets, leading to suspicions that these may have been illegally distributed. Additionally, documents suggested the purchase of medicines such as Augmentin and Dexorange Syrup, though manufacturers denied such sales. Authorities also noted that data on laptops was deleted in an attempt to hide evidence.