Archive · 15 Sep 2026
Maharashtra FDA Seizes ₹11.41 Crore in Three-Month Crackdown
Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration checked businesses selling medicines and cosmetics.
It carried out 104 searches in three months.
Officials seized products worth ₹11.41 crore.
Some skin-whitening creams contained too much mercury and sometimes lead.
These chemicals can be dangerous for people.
Inspectors also found fake or poor-quality medicines.
Some shops sold medicines without prescriptions or registered pharmacists.
The FDA reported 20 criminal cases and 21 arrests.
The action began after Tukaram Mundhe became the FDA commissioner.
Maharashtra’s FDA conducted 104 search-and-seizure operations between June and August 2026.
Authorities seized illegal medicines and cosmetics valued at ₹11.41 crore.
Testing flagged excessive mercury and, in some cases, lead in imported skin-whitening creams.
The FDA identified spurious and substandard medicines, including Diabeties-ALL and Edengrel 75 mg.
The three-month enforcement drive led to 20 FIRs and 21 arrests.
- Who
- Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration, under Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe.
- What
- The FDA conducted 104 search-and-seizure operations and seized illegal, hazardous, spurious and substandard medicines and cosmetics worth ₹11.41 crore.
- When
- Over three months, from June through August 2026; the report is dated September 15, 2026.
- Where
- Across Maharashtra, with the report datelined Mumbai.
- Why
- To enforce rules against unauthorised and substandard products, unsafe cosmetics, prescription violations and improper medicine handling.
- Search-and-seizure operations
- 104 in three months
- Value of seized stock
- ₹11.41 crore
- Previous five-year operations
- 419 operations
- Previous five-year seized stock
- ₹30.84 crore
- FIRs in latest drive
- 20
- Arrests in latest drive
- 21
- Flagged cosmetics
- Goree Beauty Cream, Golden Star Beauty Cream, and Face Fresh Gold Beauty Cream and Serum