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Kingpin of Karnataka Counterfeit Drug Racket Arrested at Bengaluru Airport
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News18•28-09-2026, 12:30
Kingpin of Karnataka Counterfeit Drug Racket Arrested at Bengaluru Airport
- •Prashanth Rajan Babu, the alleged kingpin of an interstate counterfeit drug racket, was arrested at Kempegowda International Airport upon arrival from Azerbaijan.
- •Babu had been absconding since the case emerged and a lookout notice was issued against him.
- •Police are questioning Babu regarding his alleged fake medicine manufacturing and distribution network.
- •The racket involved procuring cheap bulk drugs, refilling them into new vials, and relabeling them as premium imported brands for hospitals and ICU wards.
- •A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed after a raid seized suspected fake and expired medicines worth nearly Rs 5 crore from a farmhouse near Bidadi Toll Gate.
Key Questions Answered
Prashanth Rajan Babu (35), who is alleged to be the kingpin of the interstate counterfeit drug racket and had been hiding in Azerbaijan, was arrested at Kempegowda International Airport.
The network procured cheap bulk drugs from manufacturing hubs in Telangana and Himachal Pradesh, refilled them into new vials at a Bidadi facility, and relabelled them as premium imported brands of multinational companies.
Authorities seized suspected fake and expired medicines worth nearly Rs 5 crore near the Bidadi Toll Gate and formed a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the network's supply to hospitals and clinics.
