LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) has unearthed an organised racket allegedly involved in circulating counterfeit medicines through fake billing, cross-billing and fictitious financial transactions, registering an FIR against five accused in Lucknow as part of its statewide drive against spurious drugs.The FIR registered on July 29 at Aminabad police station under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), names Manish Mishra, proprietor of M/s Mishra Associates, Aminabad; Amod Kumar Mishra, operator of M/s Mishra Medical Agency, Bachhrawan in Rae Bareli; Sunny Kashyap, proprietor of M/s Shri Ashok Pharmaceuticals, Aminabad; and Devendra Shukla and Rahul, who allegedly operated M/s Bharat Pharma and M/s MDH Pharma in Aminabad.According to the FSDA, the accused allegedly created fake invoices, carried out cross-billing among firms without any physical movement of medicines, and fabricated paper transactions without actual bank transfers to introduce counterfeit medicines into the legitimate pharmaceutical supply chain.Investigation exposes fake pharmaceutical networkThe department said its investigation found that M/s Mishra Medical Agency, Mishra Associates, Shri Ashok Pharmaceuticals, Bharat Pharma and MDH Pharma had shown large-scale sales of medicines to one another.However, the registered proprietors of Bharat Pharma and MDH Pharma, Amreen Ahsan and Mantasha, gave written statements claiming they neither managed nor operated the businesses.They alleged that Devendra Shukla had been running both firms without their knowledge while keeping them unaware of the actual transactions.Officials further said physical verification of Bharat Pharma and MDH Pharma revealed no stock of medicines despite records indicating heavy purchases from Mishra Associates and Shri Ashok Pharmaceuticals, suggesting the transactions existed only on paper.Counterfeit Augmentin supply suspectedDuring the probe, investigators also detected suspicious billing involving the antibiotic Augmentin Duo 625.Records showed that Mishra Medical Agency and Mishra Associates had purchased the drug from Lucknow-based Medi King Pharma at Rs 56.60 per strip, significantly below the actual landing cost of Rs 116.70.However, Medi King Pharma categorically denied making any such sale in a written statement, strengthening the department’s suspicion that counterfeit medicines were being traded using forged invoices.Statewide crackdown intensifiesThe latest FIR is the fifth major criminal case registered by the department in Lucknow this month as part of its campaign against counterfeit medicines and interstate drug syndicates.Earlier cases include the seizure of counterfeit medicines worth approximately Rs 1.6 lakh near Alambagh Metro Station on July 6, recovery of fake allopathic medicines worth Rs 21 lakh from an illegal warehouse in Aminabad on July 19, action against illegal storage and transportation of counterfeit drugs without valid licences, and multiple FIRs against pharmaceutical distributors allegedly involved in organised fake billing networks.Nine firms sealed, operations suspendedThe department has also suspended operations and sealed several wholesale pharmaceutical establishments in Aminabad pending examination of financial records and billing documents under provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.The firms include SKG Medicals, Gayatri Pharma & Surgical, Health Plus, MK Pharma, Maa Ambe Pharma, RN Pharma, Sunlight Pharma, Sonal Pharma and Supervision Pharma.Interstate network under scannerThe Food Safety and Drug Administration said it is expanding its investigation to dismantle the interstate counterfeit drug network.Action has already been initiated against suppliers linked to Rajasthan, including Bhupendra Sharma and transporter Satendra Gurjar, who have been named in earlier FIRs.The department also carried out raids at an illegal manufacturing unit in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, allegedly producing counterfeit medicines of several leading pharmaceutical brands.Four persons—Rajendra Singh alias Arun Tunda, Vinay Bhatnagar, Gaurav Tyagi and Vinay Chandra, have been booked in connection with that case.The Commissioner of the Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration has directed drug inspectors across all districts to maintain continuous surveillance, identify wholesale firms linked to counterfeit drug networks, initiate licence cancellation proceedings where required and take stringent legal action against those involved in the manufacture, distribution and sale of spurious medicines.
