Three held in Ggm Sector 39 over counterfeit arthritis drug

Gurugram

Haryana authorities conducted raids at a pharmacy and a house in Gurugram Sector 39 on Wednesday and recovered more than 1,000 boxes of counterfeit drugs, officials aware of the case said, adding that they have arrested three people in connection with the case.

The officials said the counterfeit drug in question was Tofajak, which is used to treat arthritis and is manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Cipla. A representative for Cipla said the recovered boxes — each containing 60 tablets — will be sent to their laboratory to analyse what materials were used to manufacture the fake drug.

The raids, conducted by the chief minister’s flying squad, state drugs control department, and the Sector 40 crime unit, took place after authorities received a tip-off about Mohammadia Pharmacy at Sector 39 selling counterfeit drugs, police said.

During searches at the pharmacy, officers recovered 50 boxes of Tofajak, and when shop owner Yusuf Wasi was asked to present valid bills for the same, he failed to produce any documentation, police said. At this point, they said, Cipla director of corporate affairs Rahul Vij was called to the spot, who confirmed that the drugs were indeed fake.

“When we inspected the counterfeit boxes, it was immediately clear that the packaging quality was poor. There was a significant difference between the original product and the spurious ones, regarding the codes, we are verifying. We will be sending the recovered packs to our lab to analyse what materials were used for the medicines,” Vij said.

Police said that during interrogation, Yusuf revealed he was supplied the fake drugs by Naseem (identified only by one name), who lived in a rented house in Sector 39. Raids at his house led to the recovery of 964 more boxes of the counterfeit drug, and revealed the role of Zubair Mohammad from Nuh, who helped Naseem distribute the fake medicines.

According to police, Naseem supplied the drugs for ₹500 per box, which were then sold to pharmacies for ₹690, and ultimately resold to customers for ₹900. The actual market price of the medicine is ₹1,200 per box.

All three suspects have been arrested and charged under multiple sections of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940. Yusuf and Naseem were remanded to five days of police custody, while Zubair was sent to judicial custody in Bhondsi Jail. Further, the drugs control department sealed the pharmacy and is in the process of cancelling its licence.

Gurugram drug control officer Amandeep Chauhan said there are several questions that remain unanswered and are being probed. “One of the biggest concerns is how the gang managed to replicate Cipla’s bar code. This raises the possibility of insider involvement within the pharmaceutical industry,” he said.