Dehradun, June 19 (IANS) In a major crackdown on fake and illegal drug manufacturing and trade, the Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) on Sunday busted a major syndicate manufacturing counterfeit allopathic medicines in the industrial area of Udham Singh Nagar’s Bazpur.
The STF sleuths, in coordination with the Drug Administration Department, raided ‘Kovil Biotech’ on Sunday and confiscated a large stock of medicines being illicitly manufactured under the brand names of reputed companies without a valid drug manufacturing license.
A person named Dhirendra was also arrested from the spot.
The STF found in its investigation that the fake factory was churning out and supplying counterfeit allopathic and life-saving medicines, with stamps of renowned companies like STADMED, Macleods, Intas, and Sun Pharma—under the guise of Ayurvedic and food licenses.
About 1 lakh tablets and 15,000 bottles of syrups used for treating conditions such as acidity, pain, neurological disorders, and prostate issues, as well as for addressing antibiotic needs and calcium/iron deficiencies, were seized, said the agency in a statement.
The raids were conducted on the warehouse after a tip-off and specific inputs.
The string of recoveries included a large quantity of counterfeit medicines alongside illicit liquor, Uttarakhand Excise holograms, wrappers, bottle caps, and packaging materials.
When grilled by the sleuths, the accused also admitted to sourcing illicit liquor from Haryana for supply in Uttarakhand.
The operation resulted in the seizure of large quantities of counterfeit medicines as well as packaging machines, stainless steel (SS) tanks, and filling, sealing, and labelling machinery.
“Additionally, 1,632 quarters of McDowell’s No. 1, 1,016 bottles of III RCS liquor, 1,000 empty glass bottles, and Uttarakhand Excise holograms were seized,” an official statement read.
Following the recovery, the police registered a case against the accused at the Bazpur police station under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The STF has launched an elaborate investigation to locate and identify bigger individuals or syndicates linked to the network.
–IANS
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