1 hr ago
Karnataka Minister Details Alleged Fake Drug Network Supplying Hospitals
Karnataka officials say they found a group suspected of making fake medicines.
They say cheap medicines were put into new bottles and labelled as expensive imported products.
Some of the medicines were intended for serious illnesses and intensive-care treatment.
Officials seized medicines worth about Rs 5 crore near Bidadi.
A special team is now trying to find everyone involved and learn where the medicines went.
Investigators also searched a healthcare business in Bengaluru and arrested its owner.
Nearly 90 hospitals and clinics may have received some of the suspected medicines, but this is still being investigated.
Hospitals in Karnataka were told not to use the medicines named by authorities.
Authorities seized suspected fake and expired medicines worth about Rs 5 crore near Bidadi on August 18.
The alleged operation involved relabelling inexpensive bulk formulations as costly imported medicines.
A six-member Special Investigation Team was formed to trace the suspected inter-state supply chain.
Investigators later seized more suspected counterfeit medicines from Krupa Healthcare in Bengaluru and arrested its owner.
Hospitals and clinics were told not to use medicines identified in the seizures while the investigation continues.
- Who
- Karnataka Health and Family Welfare officials, the Food Safety and Drug Administration, a six-member Special Investigation Team, and the owner of Krupa Healthcare are involved in the investigation.
- What
- Authorities are investigating an alleged counterfeit-drug network involving suspected fake and expired medicines, including cancer medicines and critical-care injections.
- Where
- The medicines were seized at a farmhouse near the Bidadi Toll Gate and later at Krupa Healthcare near Minerva Circle in Bengaluru.
- When
- The first major seizure occurred on August 18; the state wrote to Union Health Minister JP Nadda on August 19, and the investigation was publicly discussed on September 14, 2026.
- Why
- Authorities are tracing the suspected supply chain, determining whether medicines reached hospitals beyond Karnataka, and protecting patients from potentially counterfeit products.
Key facts
- Initial seizure
- Suspected fake and expired medicines worth about Rs 5 crore were seized near Bidadi on August 18.
- Alleged method
- Cheap bulk formulations were allegedly transferred into fresh vials and relabelled as expensive imported medicines.
- Suspected source states
- Investigators said the bulk formulations were allegedly sourced from manufacturing centres in Telangana and Himachal Pradesh.
- Investigation team
- A six-member SIT headed by a senior IPS officer was constituted after the seizure.
- Potential reach
- The suspected medicines may have been supplied to nearly 90 hospitals and clinics in Bengaluru.
- Government action
- Karnataka circulated the inventory of suspected spurious medicines to the Union government and other states.
- Hospital directive
- Hospitals, nursing homes, and other clinical establishments in Karnataka were told not to administer the identified medicines.
Quotes
UT Khader
Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister
“We will track down every link in their network, dismantle it brick by brick, and ensure every person responsible faces the harshest punishment under the law. There will be no mercy for anyone who profits from patient’s desperation. Karnataka Government will safeguard its patients. That is not just a promise; it is also a warning to every counterfeiter in this country”
thestatesman.com
“The SIT is now investigating the suspected supply of counterfeit medicines and ICU injections to hospitals and clinics in Bengaluru. The investigation is underway, and I will place the complete findings before the public once it concludes.”
thestatesman.com
Sources
Related news
Karnataka Forms SIT Over Alleged Inter-State Fake Drug Racket
Counterfeit Cancer Drugs Allegedly Supplied to Over 90 Bengaluru Hospitals
Bengaluru Raid Seizes Rs 4.9 Crore in Spurious Drugs
Counterfeit Cancer Medicines Worth Rs 6 Crore Seized Near Bengaluru
Karnataka FDA Seizes Alleged Fake Drugs Worth Rs 4.91 Crore
Bengaluru Officials Bust ₹5 Crore Fake Drug Racket
India Prepares Uniform Semaglutide Standards Amid Counterfeit Concerns
CBIC Issues Checklist for Cosmetics, Drugs and Medical Devices
India Flags Abhayrab Batch as Misbranded and Potentially Spurious
India Probes Abhayrab Batch After Potency Test Failure
