The Department of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has arrested six individuals, including three former senior health department officials, for procuring and distributing substandard medicines and medical equipment in Puducherry, causing a loss of over ₹2 crore to the government. All six were produced before a local court and remanded in judicial custody.
The investigation followed a complaint by Marie Josephine Chitra, officer on special duty (Health Department), who alleged violations of procurement norms and supply of poor-quality medicines to public health facilities. Based on her complaint, a case was registered under sections 409 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
Those arrested include former Director of Health and Family Welfare K V Raman, former Mission Director of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) Mohan Kumar, and former Deputy Director & Programme Manager of NRHM J Allirani. Others arrested were P Mohan (Padmajothi Agency), N Punitha and R Nandakumar (Sri Sai Ram Agency partners). Earlier, DVAC had also arrested pharmacist Natarajan of Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Postgraduate Institute in connection with the case.
Investigations revealed that the accused procured substandard iron sucrose injections and distributed them to primary health centres (PHCs) and educational institutions across the Union Territory. The medicines were sourced from Sri Sai Ram Agency, in which Natarajan’s wife was a partner, and Padmajothi Agency, operated by his associate. Many of the procured medicines had already expired.
DVAC officials confirmed that the arrests followed an inquiry that exposed large-scale procedural violations and financial irregularities in supplying medicines intended for public use.
