Fake drugs, raw material worth Rs 2 crore seized as major interstate spurious ointment racket busted, 2 arrested

Two accused — identified as Gaurav Bhagat, a resident of Meerpur Hindu Village in Loni, Ghaziabad and Shree Ram alias Vishal Gupta, a resident of Delhi — have been arrested in the case. The operation was conducted under the leadership of Inspector Manjeet Kumar and the supervision of ACP Anil Sharma.

According to police, the action followed credible information backed by sustained ground-level intelligence and technical surveillance. A raid was first conducted at Teliwara in Sadar Bazar, one of the largest wholesale pharmaceutical and cosmetic markets in Delhi. During the raid, a large quantity of counterfeit Schedule-H ointments was allegedly recovered.

“The seized medicines included popular brands such as Betnovate-C and Clop-G, which are commonly used for treating skin allergies and sports injuries. The circulation of such spurious medicines could have had dangerous consequences for unsuspecting consumers,” said Aditya Gautam, DCP, Crime Branch.

Subsequently, based on follow-up intelligence and technical analysis, the Crime Branch unearthed a full-fledged manufacturing unit at Mirpur Hindu Village in Ghaziabad’s Loni. From the unit, police recovered huge quantities of counterfeit medicines, packing material, raw chemicals and manufacturing machinery. The recovery was made in the presence of drug inspectors and authorised representatives of the concerned pharmaceutical companies.

Drug Inspectors from the North and Central Zones of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, along with company representatives, conducted spot inspections and drew samples. They confirmed that the seized medicines were counterfeit and had neither been manufactured nor supplied by their companies. It was also established that the accused did not possess any valid licence to manufacture, store or sell such medicines.

A case was registered, on December 12, 2025 at the Crime Branch police station under Sections 318(4), 336, 340 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 18A(ii), 18(c), 27B(ii) and 27C of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

The total recovery includes around 1,200 tubes of spurious Betnovate-C ointment, over 2,700 tubes of spurious Clop-G ointment, more than 3,700 tubes of spurious Skin-Shine ointment, approximately 22,000 empty fake Clop-G tubes ready for filling, over 350 kg of spuriously prepared ointment, besides chemicals and machinery, said officers.

Police said further raids are underway to dismantle the entire supply chain, including sellers, delivery handlers and distributors involved in the illegal trade.