Puducherry fake drug manufacturing racket: CBI books three

PUDUCHERRY: The CBI has registered a case against three people in connection with a multi-crore fake drug manufacturing racket in Puducherry. The agency booked Vivek Venkatesan, 32, of Amman Pharma, N Raja alias Valliappan, 44, of Reddiarpalayam and A K Rana of Meenakshi Pharma on charges of criminal conspiracy, adulteration of drugs, cheating, illegal manufacture and sale of drugs and spurious drugs.

The agency booked them under sections 61, 276 and 318 (4) of BNS and sections 27 (d) and 17 B (b) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The CBI initiated action following a communication from Puducherry special secretary (home) R Kesavan requesting it to take over the investigation of fake drug manufacturing cases in the Union territory.

Puducherry drugs controlling authority last year busted fake drug manufacturing units, which sold spurious drugs worth several crores of rupees throughout the country. The authority, along with Puducherry CB-CID, raided the units and godowns, seized spurious drugs and sealed the units and godowns. The authority alerted Lupin Ltd, Chennai, that a few fake pharma units have been manufacturing spurious/counterfeit drugs in the names of their registered brands of drugs and marketing them throughout the country.

Lupin Ltd manager (Chennai) B Bakkiyaraj lodged a complaint with the CB-CID stating that the packaging, labelling, trademark, artwork and batch numbering pattern used in the seized drugs were fraudulent imitations of Lupin's registered brands, thereby constituting cheating, counterfeiting, forgery, and use of false copyrights with dishonest intention to mislead the public. Such acts endanger human life, as the quality, potency and safety of these spurious drugs are unknown and could result in serious adverse health consequences.

The CB-CID, which began inquiries, arrested more than a dozen people, including a former IFS officer. All of them came out on bail later.

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