Probe finds Varanasi link in spurious drugs racket; Odisha team to visit UP

Bhubaneswar: Odisha government has formed a special expert team to investigate the interstate supply of spurious drugs.

The special expert team comprising drug controllers Sudarshan Biswal, Tusar Ranjan Panigrahi and Dharmadev Puhan along with senior police officers will soon proceed to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh for further investigation into the interstate supply of spurious drugs, said an official of Health and Family Welfare department today.

“It was suspected that the spurious medicines seized from Ashok Medical Hall in Bargarh district and Amit Medical Agencies of Jharsuguda district in Odisha have been procured from Baby Enterprises, JP medicals and Guru Kripa Medicals of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. That is why the expert team will visit Varanasi to investigate the interstate link behind the supply of spurious drugs,” added the official.

Odisha Health and Family Welfare department Secretary Shalini Pandit has requested her Uttar Pradesh counterpart to issue the necessary instructions to the authorities concerned for extending cooperation to the expert team investigating the spurious drugs case, said the official.

“You may appreciate that the matter related to spurious drugs needs to be attended with utmost priority in larger public interest. Hence, a team of police officers along with police is being deputed to Varanasi. Necessary instructions may be issued to the concerned authorities in UP to extend their cooperation to the team for taking the matter to a logical conclusion,” said Pandit in her letter to the Health Secretary of Uttar Pradesh.