Fake bills, fake medicines: UP uncovers major drug racket

A statewide UP FSDA crackdown has exposed alleged counterfeit medicine networks using fake billing, forged labels and illegal manufacturing. The seizures across multiple districts have widened the probe into organised supply chains and public health risks.UP raids expose fake invoices, software tampering and spurious drug factoryA statewide crackdown on counterfeit and illegally traded medicines in Uttar Pradesh has uncovered an extensive network allegedly using fake invoices, manipulated billing software and forged labels to push spurious drugs into the market.The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA), Uttar Pradesh, has so far seized illegal medicines worth around Rs 5.43 crore in Lucknow, Agra, Varanasi and Gonda as part of its campaign against the storage, sale, transportation and manufacture of counterfeit drugs.AMINABAD NETWORK UNDER SCANNERThe investigation has exposed an alleged organised supply chain operating from Lucknow's Aminabad. Officials said Health Plus, MK Pharma, Ram Pharma and Patient Care Surgical House of Saharanpur were allegedly using fraudulent billing to circulate counterfeit medicines.Health Plus received its licence in May 2025 but allegedly showed illegal purchases and sales dating back to April. Manufacturer STADMED reportedly confirmed that Alkasol syrup sold by the firm was counterfeit. MK Pharma allegedly recorded fake purchases worth around Rs 8.87 crore during the 2025-26 financial year and deleted older data, allegedly to destroy evidence. Manufacturer Wardex also identified Dexorange Syrup sold by the firm as counterfeit. The source of nearly 39.20 lakh Zoryl M1 tablets could not be verified.An FIR was registered against the four firms at Aminabad police station on August 12 under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.ILLEGAL FACTORY MAKING FAKE BRANDED DRUGS The probe into the source of counterfeit medicines seized in Lucknow led investigators to an interstate manufacturing operation.A joint team of the UP FSDA, Ghaziabad Crime Branch and Uttarakhand Drug Department raided an illegal factory where counterfeit versions of products associated with major pharmaceutical brands, including Dr Reddy's, Cipla, Elder, Macro and Intas, were allegedly being manufactured without a licence.Officials seized tablet and capsule-making machines, blister-packing equipment, overprinting machines and counterfeit foil packaging. Medicines worth around Rs 2 crore, along with machinery and packaging material, were recovered. Two people were booked in the case.LUCKNOW RAIDS YIELD Rs 41.58 LAKH IN ILLEGAL DRUGSLucknow has remained a major focus of the crackdown. In July, officials seized medicines worth Rs 1.6 lakh near Alambagh Metro Station, Rs 5 lakh in the Bakshi Ka Talab area and Rs 21 lakh from an illegal warehouse in Aminabad.Counterfeit medicines including Telma and Pantop 40 were among the seized stock.Eight Aminabad firms and a software vendor were booked over alleged fake billing and manipulation of billing software. Officials also uncovered a cross-billing syndicate in Kaisarbagh allegedly generating invoices without any physical supply of medicines.According to the FSDA, illegal medicines worth Rs 41.58 lakh have so far been seized in Lucknow. Seven FIRs have been registered against 32 people, with two arrests made.AGRA RECORDS BIGGEST SEIZUREAgra accounted for the biggest haul, with illegal medicines worth Rs 3.63 crore seized during multiple raids.Officials uncovered alleged counterfeit medicines, relabelling and fake-billing operations involving several firms. Fake versions of Torrent Pharma's Chymoral Forte and Aciloc, along with government-supplied Zostum-O, were allegedly found at several premises.Investigators also found allegedly fake labels and inflated MRP markings on insulin products. A suspected fake-billing network involving Telma-H products reportedly generated transactions worth around Rs 1.88 crore.Officials seized insulin, rabies vaccines and physician samples worth Rs 2.5 crore from Jyoti Drug House and counterfeit OXALGIN-DP tablets worth Rs 50 lakh from Shri Medical Agencies.In Agra, nine FIRs were registered and two accused were arrested.VARANASI, GONDA AND MEERUT OPERATIONSIn Varanasi's Manduadih area, officials seized unlicensed allopathic medicines worth around Rs 25 lakh from a surgical shop. The shop operator was arrested and booked under relevant provisions of the BNS.In Gonda's Badgaon area, authorities seized drugs, injections and syrups allegedly used for intoxication, valued at around Rs 1.13 crore. The main accused was arrested, while another suspect remains absconding.A separate interstate operation spanning Meerut, Baghpat and Uttarakhand's Udham Singh Nagar exposed an alleged racket manufacturing counterfeit Evion 400mg capsules. Around six lakh fake capsules were recovered, with the accused allegedly operating under the cover of an FSSAI licence.‘DRUG SAFETY IS OUR TOP CONCERN’UP FSDA Commissioner Dr Roshan Jacob said protecting the public from unsafe medicines remains the department's highest priority.“Drug safety is a matter of the highest concern for UPFSDA. It has a direct and deep connection with public health,” Jacob said, stressing that patients must be able to trust the medicines they receive.She said the crackdown against the drug mafia would continue with full determination until the threat of counterfeit medicines is eliminated from the state.- EndsPublished By: Nitish SinghPublished On: Aug 20, 2026 03:23 IST