Ramanagar: A major fake medicine repackaging racket has been busted in Bengaluru South district, with the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department seizing counterfeit medicines and other materials worth around ₹5 crore.
Officials raided an unauthorised unit operating from a farmhouse without a valid licence. More than 30 officials were involved in the operation.
Cheap medicines repacked with high-value labels
According to officials, accused Prashanth, who had reportedly taken the farmhouse on lease, had been running the operation for nearly a year. Low-cost medicines sourced from Telangana and Himachal Pradesh were allegedly repackaged using labels of reputed pharmaceutical companies.
Medicines costing around ₹600 were reportedly sold with labels showing prices of ₹6,000 to ₹8,000. Officials also suspect that medicines used in cancer treatment were repackaged and supplied to the market.
During the raid, authorities seized suspected fake medicines, pharmaceutical labels, expired medicines and empty bottles.
Police have arrested one person in connection with the case, while a search is underway for the alleged main accused Chethan.
Ramanagara SP Srinivas Gowda said the investigation is focused on identifying the supply network, tracing where the medicines were distributed and determining whether more people were involved in the racket.