New Delhi, Feb 9 (PTI) The Delhi Police has busted a suspected drug manufacturing unit operated by an interstate racket allegedly involved in the production and supply of spurious psychotropic medicines, following a coordinated raid in Bihar’s Patna, an official said on Monday.
Thousands of bottles of “fake syrups” and large quantities of chemicals used in drug manufacture were seized from the facility, he added.
The factory was allegedly producing syrups whose names closely resembled popular medicines, allowing the drugs to be sold illegally without prescription, officials said.
“Thousands of bottles of fake syrup, hundreds of litres of chemicals used to manufacture medicines, commercial mixing equipment, drums and canisters, along with thousands of empty bottles and caps were recovered and sealed,” the officer said.
The Delhi Police raid led to the arrest of Tanishq Jha (24), a resident of Bihar, taking the total number of arrests in the case registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act to eight.
Police said Jha played a key role in sourcing raw materials and processing fake medicines which were then supplied across several states.
The case dates back to September last year, when police received information about the alleged smuggling of psychotropic drugs in Delhi, leading to the arrest of seven people, including one Anirudh, from Lajpat Nagar. Around 2 kg of powdered Tramadol (an highly-regulated opioid) were recovered from him.
Further raids and arrests resulted in the recovery of more than 48 kg of psychotropic substances worth over Rs 50 crore, police said.
During the investigation, police found that Jha was operating from his father’s illegal factory premises in Patna and was involved in processing large quantities of chemicals to manufacture fake psychotropic medicines.
“Tanishq’s father used to run a illegal factory, manufacturing fake medicines and syrups. Most of the syrups had names that slightly varied from popular brands,” police said.
According to police, the syndicate procured raw materials used in manufacture of psychotropic medicines, processed them at the factory and supplied the spurious products to different states via a network of associates.
Jha allegedly used the guise of working in his father’s factory to move chemicals and processed medicines across state borders, police said.
With the arrest of the eighth accused, police said the cartel has been largely dismantled, and efforts are underway to trace others linked with the interstate racket. PTI MSJ SSJ SGV ARB ARB
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