Bengaluru police have made a significant breakthrough in the interstate counterfeit drug racket, arresting alleged kingpin Prashanth Rajan Babu at Kempegowda International Airport after he absconded to Azerbaijan, bringing a major fake medicine operation closer to justice.
Key Points
- Prashanth Rajan Babu, the alleged kingpin of an interstate counterfeit drug racket, was arrested at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport.
- Rajan Babu had been absconding and was reportedly hiding in Azerbaijan before his apprehension.
- The racket involved procuring cheap bulk drugs, refilling them into new vials, and relabelling them as premium imported brands.
- A previous raid by health authorities seized suspected fake and expired medicines worth nearly Rs 5 crore.
- A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is probing the network's supply chain to hospitals and clinics, with the accused remanded to custody until October 7.
A key accused allegedly involved in the interstate counterfeit drug racket was arrested on Monday morning at Kempegowda International airport here, police said.
The accused, identified as Prashanth Rajan Babu (35), is alleged to be the kingpin in the case and had been absconding since the case came to light, was allegedly hiding in Azerbaijan, they said.
Kingpin's Capture And Interrogation
"The accused was detained at Kempegowda International Airport here early this morning and taken into custody upon his arrival from Azerbaijan," a senior police officer said.
He is being questioned over his alleged fake medicine manufacturing and distribution network, he said.
The accused was taken for medical examination and subsequently produced before a city court here which has remanded him to the custody of SIT until October 7, officials said.
A lookout notice had been issued against the key accused in connection with the case.
Uncovering The Counterfeit Operation
According to officials, on August 18, the state's Health & Family Welfare Department and the Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration raided a farmhouse near the Bidadi Toll Gate and seized suspected fake and expired medicines worth nearly Rs 5 crore.
Sharing details of the case earlier, Health Minister U T Khader had said that this network was procuring cheap bulk drugs from manufacturing hubs in Telangana and Himachal Pradesh, refilling them into new vials at the Bidadi facility, and relabelling them as premium imported brands of multinational companies, including a top brand, whose counterfeit drugs meant for patients and ICU wards.
Following this, a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to investigate the network's supply to hospitals and clinics. During the probe, they also arrested the owner of a healthcare firm in Bengaluru in connection with the case.
Further investigation is underway.
