Fake medicines made of chalk powder & rice flour busted in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: In a joint operation conducted by the Drugs Control and Excise Enforcement departments, fake antibiotics worth Rs 6.91 lakh were seized on Friday, November 22, 2024. The drugs were reportedly made of chalk pieces and rice flour and were found to have been imported for sale in Karimnagar and Kurnool.

Acting on a tip-off, drug inspectors and the Excise Special Task Force (STF) raided a courier facility in Balanagar, Hyderabad, where the fake antibiotics were being sent. These counterfeit antibiotics had been brought from Uttarakhand by Muni Sekhar and Gandra Ramulu, and were found to contain no active pharmaceutical ingredients. The seized narcotic substances were also deemed highly intoxicating.

The drugs were reportedly being distributed to various drug stores in the Karimnagar and Kurnool districts. The operation was carried out by a team led by Prasad, Assistant Director of Drug Control, and inspectors Nagaraju, Lakshman, Govind Singh, and Anil Reddy from Saroornagar, Uppal, Secunderabad, and Malkajgiri areas.

The Director-General of Drug Control and Excise Enforcement, V.B. Kamalasan Reddy, praised the team's swift action in apprehending the culprits and preventing the circulation of dangerous counterfeit drugs.