The CB Control Unit of Mumbai Economic Offences Wing (EOW) have arrested a 30-year-old woman running a pharma company at Kalyan for allegedly selling counterfeit medicines used for treatment of cancer patients. The police have seized counterfeit medicines worth Rs 67.60 lakh and are probing from where the accused had procured the said medicines.
Speaking about the case, police inspector Nitin Patil said, earlier this year, an application was received from an advocate of a trademark company that handles the copyright of the medicines which are manufactured by a Japan based pharmaceutical company. The advocate in his application to the police had informed the police about the sale of counterfeit medicines of the Japan based company in Mumbai.
"We were informed that the medicines are specifically used for treatment of cancer patients and are not permitted for sale in India and as per their information, the medicines that were being sold in Mumbai under the name of the Japanese company were fake. Accordingly communication was made with the advocate for further assistance. A trap was laid for purchase of said medicines during March, this year and one injection of the Japan based company was purchased for Rs 1.12 lakh near SV road in Santacruz through a pharma company in Kalyan. The actual cost of each injection is around Rs 5.80 lakh," Patil said.
He added, "The said injection was sent to the Japan based pharma company for forensic analysis of branding and to check the genuineness of the injection. The report was received that the product was spurious and not produced by the Japanese company and that the injection was fake. A case was then registered on Thursday at Santacruz Police station against the accused, a woman, on the complaint of the advocate."
"After registration of the case, a team was sent to the office of the Kalyan based pharma company and the accused woman was caught in possession of 6 Adcetris injections & 2 Iclusig tablets of the Japan based company. Having knowledge that the medicines are not meant for sale or possession in India, the accused was trading such spurious medicine which can be harmful for human life and hence the woman was placed under arrest after following due legal procedures. She was produced before the court on Friday and was remanded to police custody till October 04," Patil informed.
The police have registered a case of cheating and forgery under the sections of Indian Penal Code and Copyright Act and the probe has been taken over by the EOW. The police have seized fake injections and tablets worth Rs 67.60 lakh, a laptop, a mobile phone and some documents.
