Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) has unearthed an organised syndicate allegedly involved in fake billing, paper transactions and the circulation of counterfeit medicines in Lucknow, seizing medicines worth around ₹15.5 lakh.A special team from the FSDA headquarters, comprising 18 drug inspectors, inspected over 13 pharmaceutical firms in Aminabad and other parts of the state capital.Following the probe, the food safety commissioner directed registration of FIRs against the proprietors of Ashok Pharma, Mishra Associates, Bharat Pharma, Shiv Shakti, Vidya Pharma, RN Pharma and Meet Enterprises. An FIR was also ordered against software vendor Abid Ali Athar for allegedly facilitating fake billing through software used in pharmaceutical transactions.
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Officials said FIRs were registered at Aminabad police station on July 24 against the proprietors of Maharaja Enterprises, Apollo Pharmacy, Shiv Shakti Pharma and Ashok Pharmaceuticals. Preliminary scrutiny of financial records revealed that several firms had recorded business transactions without any actual transfer of funds or movement of medicines, raising suspicion of paper trading and fraudulent billing.During the operation, officials raided an alleged illegal warehouse operated by Mishra Associates in Aminabad and seized medicines worth approximately ₹15.5 lakh. Five samples of suspected medicines were also collected for laboratory examination.Invoking powers under Section 22(1)(d) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, the department sealed several firms and suspended their purchase and sale operations pending investigation.The special team also collected 32 drug samples from different firms and sent them to govt laboratory for testing of their quality and authenticity.
