Fake drugs worth crores being supplied to Odisha recovered from UP

Bhubaneswar: Months after fake drugs worth Rs 1.7 lakh, reportedly procured from Uttar Pradesh (UP), were seized from two agencies in Jharsuguda and Bargarh districts here,  UP Police claimed to have busted one of the biggest rackets by arresting a man in this connection and seizing counterfeit medicines worth crores from Sigra in Varanasi. The crackdown was recently carried out basing on inputs from Odisha government’s Health department.

The accused, identified as Ashok Kumar of Bulandshahar under Secunderabad police limits, was nabbed during a raid on Wednesday. Based on his confession, UP police raided another godown in Lahartara where a huge cache of fake drugs were recovered. Official sources said the value of the spurious drugs is estimated at around Rs 7.35 crore. Cash worth Rs 4 lakh was also recovered from the spot.

In December last year, fake drugs were seized from two agencies in Jharsuguda and Bargarh districts in Odisha. 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.