Indore: The crime branch on Wednesday arrested two persons for manufacturing spurious medicines in Shikshak Nagar. Director of the manufacturing company and a worker were arrested while police are searching for company owner.
Acting on a tip off, crime branch constituted a joint team of drug inspectors, AYUSH department officials, Hatod, Aerodrome police station staff and raided a drug manufacturing unit of Pharma Chem located in Shikshak Nagar.
“During raid, it was found that accused prepared medicines using sub standard sodium bicarbonate. The packet of raw material mentioned that it is not for medicinal use,” a police official said adding that worker Santosh Patil and director of Pharma Chem Narendra Jain were arrested while search is on for owner Raju Bamboriya. They prepared tablets called Sonamint.
“Besides using spurious material, the accused were making medicines in unhygienic conditions as thousands of tablets were found in an open container. Moreover, 30 sacks of expired medicines were also found, which expired in 11 years ago,” police said.
AYUSH officials collected samples of the medicines and sent it for testing while a case under Sections 420, 274, 275 of IPC was registered against the accused.
Sold 1,000 tablets for Rs 17, MPR was Rs 60
According to police, accused were preparing Sonamint tablets with 250 mg sodium bicarbonate, 0.03 mg menthol, 10 mg ginger, 0.24 ml peppermint oil, sugar and colours. During interrogation, accused said they used to sell one box containing 1,000 tablets for Rs 17 to wholesalers and medical shops. They were sold for Rs 60 in the market. Accused began making Ayurvedic medicines in 2009. They made allopathic medicines earlier.
They have sold lakhs of spurious medicines in Dawa Bazaar, mainly to Mamta Medicose, Jainam Pharma, Matashri Pharma, Shah Pharma and Sugan Pharma.
Sold to govt contractors
The accused admitted that they supplied the medicines to government contractors who supplied to government hospitals.
License of Arrow Pharma suspended, unit sealed
A joint team of drug inspectors and police raided another manufacturing unit of the accused named as Arrow Pharma in Hatod on Tuesday. The medicines were manufactured in unhygienic conditions and in violation of schedule M and schedule L of Drug and Cosmetic Act, 1940. According to drug inspector Dharmesh Bigoniya, Arrow Pharma used to manufacture cough syrup, paracetamol syrup, multi-vitamin tablets and other drugs.
“More than 50 deficiencies were found in manufacturing unit in Hatod including non-availability of microbiology lab and quality control lab. Similarly, it didn’t have trained staff while the drugs were being prepared in unhygienic conditions,” Bigoniya said. The unit has been sealed and licence has been suspended.
