Three months after exposing a fake cancer drug operation, the Delhi Police has detailed its findings in a chargesheet, revealing that eight patients who consumed counterfeit medications have been identified. Tragically, one of these patients passed away, as noted in the chargesheet filed in Tis Hazari court.
The investigation uncovered that the accused were employed at prominent hospitals in Delhi and Gurgaon. They allegedly procured empty vials of essential medications from pharmacists or hospital staff, filled these vials with counterfeit substances, and sold them through pharmacies and online platforms. The police seized over 140 vials of the fake drugs, valued at approximately Rs4 crore.
The chargesheet also highlights a poignant case from Madhubani, Bihar, where a man’s wife, suffering from mouth and lung cancer, was treated at local hospitals. After being advised to use Keytruda injections, the man purchased four injections for Rs3.60 lakh from an online contact named Love Narula. Following two injections, her condition deteriorated, leading to her death on September 11, 2022.
Earlier this year, on March 12, seven suspects were arrested by the Inter-State Cell of the Crime Branch and the Delhi government’s Department of Drugs Control, with five more apprehended later. The accused included Viphil Jain, identified as the mastermind, along with other individuals involved in the scheme.
Investigators revealed that four of the suspects worked in the oncology departments of top cancer hospitals. Notably, two were pharmacists at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, while others were employed at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Millennium Cancer Center in Gurgaon, and Venkateshwar Hospital in Delhi.
The fraudulent operation involved purchasing empty vials for Rs3,000 to Rs6,000 refilling them with fake substances, and selling them for Rs40,000 to Rs50,000. Police issued notices to the involved hospitals, whose responses confirmed that the batch numbers of the fake drugs matched those manufactured by the company, reinforcing allegations that the accused misappropriated drugs from their workplaces for personal profit.
