Delhi Police’s Crime Branch Anti-Gang Squad has cracked a pan-India counterfeit medicine racket, arresting six key accused including the alleged mastermind Rajesh Mishra (52). The syndicate produced fake life-saving drugs under reputed pharmaceutical brands like Johnson & Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), police said on Wednesday.
The operation led to the seizure of approximately 150 kg of loose tablets, 20 kg of loose capsules, 9,000 fake Ultracet tablets, 6,100 counterfeit Augmentin 625 tablets, and other spurious medicines. Two illicit factories involved were raided in Jind, Haryana and Baddi, Himachal Pradesh.
The network operated across several states including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, with major distribution points in Moradabad, Deoria, Gorakhpur, Panipat, Jind, Baddi, and Solan.
The six arrested – Rajesh Mishra, Parmanand, brothers Md Alam and Md Saleem, Md Zuvaier, and Prem Shankar Prajapati – communicated through encrypted apps and used fake accounts and hawala channels for financial transactions, police said.
DCP (Crime) Harsh Indora stated that Rajesh Mishra, who has prior pharmaceutical sector experience, orchestrated the counterfeit production at a clandestine unit in Jind. The fake tablets were packed in duplicate boxes of well-known pharma brands, with foil and blister packing materials sourced from Baddi.
The racket came under police scrutiny following a tip-off about a consignment of fake drugs entering Delhi. A trap laid on July 30 at a petrol pump in Civil Lines resulted in the arrest of Md Alam and Md Saleem while transporting counterfeit medicines.
Further investigations revealed communication between accused and suppliers across multiple regions. Police are continuing their probe to identify raw material sources, financial links, and other accomplices.
This counterfeit medicine operation posed a significant threat to public health and the integrity of leading pharmaceutical companies, said police.
