The crackdown on counterfeit drugs unfolded over two years.
New Delhi:
Delhi Police today arrested four more individuals in connection with the fake cancer drug racket, bringing the total number of arrests to 12. According to the police, the accused, Rohit, Jitendra, Majid, and Sajid, were all employed in the oncology departments of various hospitals across the national capital.
The four accused allegedly collaborated with one of the masterminds behind the operation, Neeraj Chauhan.
The recent arrests have shed light on the modus operandi of the syndicate. Instead of administering genuine chemotherapy treatments to patients in need, the accused filled empty vials with anti-fungal medication, passing them off as life-saving cancer drugs. The police have uncovered evidence suggesting that the gang’s reach extended far beyond the borders of Delhi, with connections to buyers not only within the country but also in China and the United States.
According to the police, the value of the fake medicines sold is pegged at over Rs 25 crore.
2-Year Operation
The crackdown on counterfeit drugs unfolded over two years.
One of the key figures in the racket, Viphil Jain, orchestrated the entire operation from two flats located in DLF Capital Greens in Delhi’s Moti Nagar. Jain, formerly associated with medical shops, oversaw the production of fake cancer medications. His associate, Suraj Shat, filled empty vials with anti-fungal medicine and sold them as life-saving cancer drugs.
Over 7,000 injections of these counterfeit drugs were sold across India, China, and the United States, fetching exorbitant prices ranging from Rs 1 to Rs 3 lakh per vial.
In addition to cap-sealing machines and empty vials, a substantial sum of cash, along with packaging materials, was confiscated from the premises.
Neeraj Chauhan, leveraging his managerial roles in oncology departments of various hospitals, collaborated with Jain to peddle these counterfeit medications. His cousin Tushar, a lab technician, facilitated the distribution process.
Employees of a Delhi-based cancer hospital, Komal Tiwari and Abhinay Kohli, took care of the supply of empty vials from the hospital premises to Jain.
An IIT-BHU graduate, Aditya Krishna, who owned a medical store is also connected with the syndicate, police said, adding that he was arrested from Bihar’s Muzaffarpur.