Stories
Fake Medicine Racket Kingpin Prashanth Arrested; SIT Takes Custody at Bengaluru Airport
- •Prashanth, the kingpin of the fake medicine scam, was apprehended by the SIT at Kempegowda Airport.
- •An LOC had been issued against Prashanth, who was in the custody of customs officials in Azerbaijan and sent back to India.
- •SIT officials took Prashanth, who arrived on a flight from Sharjah, into custody at Kempegowda Airport for interrogation.
- •The scam involved rebranding low-cost generic medicines under famous company names and repackaging expired medicines with new labels.
- •The racketeers sold fake versions of critical life-saving drugs, including cancer medicines and ICU injections, supplying them at a 50% discount to over 90 prestigious private hospitals and clinics in Bengaluru.
- •Assistant Drug Controller Omkareshwar was suspended for alleged failure to act in the Krupa Health Care case, marking the first suspension in the FDA department amidst the investigation.
Key Questions Answered
The kingpin, Prashanth, was taken into custody by SIT officials at Kempegowda Airport after being sent back to India by customs officials in Azerbaijan. He had arrived on a flight from Sharjah and was promptly escorted to the SIT office for interrogation.
The racketeers rebranded low-cost generic medicines under the names of famous companies, erased expired medicine labels using chemicals, and affixed new counterfeit labels for repackaging. They supplied these fake life-saving drugs and ICU injections at a 50% discount to over 90 prestigious private hospitals and clinics in Bengaluru.
The government suspended Omkareshwar, the Assistant Drug Controller of Circle-1, for alleged failure to take appropriate action during the Krupa Health Care case in Chamarajapet. This marked the first suspension within the FDA department amidst the ongoing investigation into the counterfeit network.
