Kolkata: Spurious medicines worth around Rs 17 lakh were seized from a godown in Howrah’s Amta. The office of the accused agency has been sealed and the owner Bablu Manna was arrested.
The primary investigations suggest that fake medicines were brought to the Amta godown from Patna in Bihar. The incident has triggered concerns about public health. After a specific complaint was lodged, the officials of the Drug Control department along with police on Thursday night raided the godown in Amta and discovered counterfeit medicines with fake QR codes of branded pharmaceutical companies.
During the inspection, officials were shocked to find a huge quantity of counterfeit medicines. The fake QR codes on these medicines were designed to trick customers into believing they were purchasing genuine products. The entire stock has been seized. Investigations are underway to determine how far these fake drugs have been distributed across the state. Officials are now investigating whether these fake drugs have been distributed to other pharmacies and hospitals across the state.
This is not the first time the state has witnessed a scandal involving fake medicines. Cases of counterfeit and substandard medicines have been on the rise in India.
In Kolkata, authorities had previously uncovered a Rs 6.5 crore fake drug racket where life-saving medicines were found to be completely fraudulent. According to sources, at least 44 types of low-quality and fake medicines have flooded the market.
These contaminated drugs pose a severe health risk and can lead to life-threatening complications.