Narpoli police in Thane have seized ₹1.85 crore worth of duplicate medicines in Bhiwandi and filed a case against the director and proprietor of a pharmaceutical firm. Mihir Trivedi and Vijay Chaudhary, the accused persons, are charged with several offenses under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. This incident has caused serious public health issues because the drugs are sold surreptitiously.

Key Highlights:

Seizure Information:

• During the inspections, duplicate medicines worth ₹1.52 crores and banned medicines of ₹32 lakh were recovered.

• Routine inspection seized samples of 11 medicines, which were later found to be spurious.

Suspects Caught:

• Mihir Trivedi (Director) and Vijay Chaudhary (Proprietor) are booked for selling fake medicines.

• Both individuals have seven cases registered against them across Maharashtra.

Timeline of Events:

• The inspections were done by drug inspector Rajesh Bankar between August 8, 2024, and December 12, 2024.

• The medicines contained inappropriate ingredients. This impacts the quality of the drugs as they would not be safe to consume.

Legal Actions:

• A case has been registered under:

• 318(4), 276, 277, 278, and 3(5) Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita

• All the relevant sections of Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

• The authorities are tracing all the manufacturing units, the sources of raw material and distribution channels for spurious drugs.

Impact on Human Health:

• Investigations had proved that the culprits were selling the duplicate medicines merely to amass profits at the cost of public health and safety.

• Drug Inspector Rajesh Bankar called it an "act against humanity" since it was affecting the health and well-being of the patients taking these essential medicines.

Ongoing Investigation:

The police are probing further:

• Origins of the duplicate medicines

• Sources of raw material and packaging materials

• The channel of distribution where the duplicate medicines were being sold.

This disturbing case of spurious drugs highlights the need to closely monitor and take action against people who are exploiting the public health system for personal benefit. The authorities have been keen on taking strict steps to break such illegal circles and prevent further damage.