A fake Mounjaro injection racket has been busted in Gurugram, leading to arrests and a nationwide alert to prevent the distribution of these potentially dangerous counterfeit diabetes drugs.
Key Points
- A fake Mounjaro injection manufacturing and sales racket has been uncovered in Gurugram.
- Two individuals have been arrested for importing raw drugs and manufacturing counterfeit diabetes injections.
- The accused were supplying fake Mounjaro injections through the B2B portal Indiamart.
- A nationwide alert has been issued to detect the counterfeit injections and prevent health risks.
- The investigation is ongoing to unravel the entire network involved in the fake drug racket.
Authorities in Gurugram have unearthed a racket involving the manufacturing and sale of "fake" Mounjaro (tirzepatide) injections and arrested two persons here in this connection, an official has said.
A nationwide alert has been issued to detect the counterfeit injections and an investigation is underway to unravel the entire network, including all those involved in this racket, Drug Control Officer Amandeep Chauhan said on Monday.
Gurugram Raid Uncovers Fake Injection Operation
He said a Health Department team raided a residential society in Sector 62 on Monday and arrested two people, including the key accused.
The accused were importing raw drugs from China and manufacturing counterfeit injections of Mounjaro. The entire racket was being run from a flat in the society. The accused supplied these illegal injections through the B2B portal Indiamart, the officer alleged.
Mounjaro is a weekly injectable medication for type 2 diabetes that significantly improves blood sugar control and aids weight loss.
"We received information about a fake injection chain operating in Gurugram and acting on this information, we conducted a raid", Chauhan said.
Investigation and Arrests in Fake Drug Case
On Saturday, the team had recovered injections worth Rs 70 lakh from a vehicle in DLF Phase 4. While investigating the matter, the team on Monday raided a flat in Sector 62, where injections were prepared by mixing water with raw drugs, officials said.
"Afterwards, all the packaging, barcode affixing and labelling were done in the same flat. The team also recovered packaging machines," they added.
Mujjamil, a deliveryman from DLF Phase 4, was initially arrested. Later, the main accused, Avi Sharma, was also taken into custody.
"Mujjamil is from Uttar Pradesh, while Avi is from Gurugram. The accused were preparing these injections in their flat, they said.
Nationwide Alert Issued for Counterfeit Mounjaro
"A nationwide alert has been issued regarding the injections. Batch numbers have also been shared so that health department teams can remain vigilant and detect counterfeit injections.
"An investigation into the entire network is underway to determine where the fake injections were supplied and how many people are involved in this racket," said Chauhan.
Taking advantage of the growing demand for the drug, counterfeit injections are being introduced into the market, Rajesh Goyal, a chemist, said.
Such counterfeit injections can cause serious health problems, according to experts.
