The Karnataka government has constituted a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) following the massive seizure of spurious medicines worth ₹4.91 crore from a farmhouse near Bidadi. The racket allegedly relabelled cheap generic drugs as expensive ICU brands.

  • A massive seizure of spurious and relabelled drugs worth ₹4.91 crore was made near Bidadi.
  • A 6-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the nationwide racket.
  • The operation involved refilling cheap generic drugs into new vials to mimic expensive imported brands.
  • Health Minister U T Khader confirmed the involvement of supply chains from Himachal Pradesh and Telangana.

Bengaluru: In a major crackdown on a life-threatening pharmaceutical scam, the Karnataka government on Thursday announced the formation of a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT). This follows the discovery of a massive illegal repacking and relabelling unit operating out of a farmhouse near Bidadi, which was caught supplying spurious medicines to hospitals and ICUs.

During a high-stakes raid on Tuesday evening, authorities seized medicines valued at approximately ₹4.91 crore. The investigation revealed a sophisticated operation where lower-cost generic medicines, sourced from other states, were being transferred into new vials and meticulously relabelled to impersonate high-end, expensive, and imported medical brands. Additionally, 30 boxes of expired medicines were recovered, raising fears that dead stock was being reintroduced into the active medical supply chain.

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Why This Matters

BozokMedia analysis shows that this is not merely a case of copyright infringement, but a direct assault on public health. The manipulation of drugs intended for Intensive Care Units (ICUs) means that patients in critical condition were being administered potentially ineffective or toxic substances, making this one of the most dangerous pharmaceutical crimes in recent years.

Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader stated that the drugs were procured at low prices from fake manufacturing units in Himachal Pradesh and Telangana.

The SIT will be headed by Joint Commissioner of Police (West) C Vamshikrishna and will operate under the supervision of the ADGP, Law and Order. The elite team includes Superintendent of Police Shiva Prakash Devaraju, CID SP Lokesh B Jagalasar, assistant drug controllers Manjunath Reddy and Namrata Hallur, and drug inspector Neha Murki.

The scope of the investigation is vast. The SIT has been mandated to trace the entire distribution network, identifying the specific hospitals and ICUs that received these adulterated drugs. While one individual has been arrested, the primary suspect, a medical representative named Prashanth, remains at large. Investigators believe the operation had been running from a leased 10-acre property for nearly 18 months.

Did You Know?: Spurious drugs often pass visual inspections because the packaging is identical to genuine products, making them extremely difficult for even trained professionals to detect.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How did the counterfeit drugs enter the market?
The culprits bought cheap generic drugs from unauthorized units in states like Himachal Pradesh and Telangana, relabelled them, and sold them as premium brands.

2. What is the next step for the SIT?
The SIT will investigate all related criminal cases across the state and submit its final report to the competent court after tracing the supply chain to the end-users.