The Yogi government is taking strict action against the supply chain of spurious and suspicious medicines. In this ongoing effort, the Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) executed a major operation on Wednesday, uncovering another large network in Lucknow. According to the department, a campaign was underway in Aminabad to push spurious and counterfeit medicines into the market through fraudulent billing, cross-billing, and paper-based transactions, without any actual supply of the drugs. An FIR has been registered at the Aminabad police station against four accused individuals under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
FIR filed against four people
The FIR names Ankur Awasthi (Proprietor, Health Plus), Manish Bajpai (Operator, MK Pharma), Govind Shukla (Operator, Ram Pharma), and Aijaz Ahmed (Operator, Patient Care Surgical House, Saharanpur) as the accused. It is alleged that these firms billed each other without actually supplying medicines and created records of purchase and sale based solely on paperwork.
Medicines were sold without a license
According to the department, Ankur Awasthi, the proprietor of Health Plus in Aminabad, maintained records of large-scale medicine storage and transactions without possessing a valid drug license. The investigation also revealed the role of Govind Shukla, whom the department identified as a key operator of the firm. The probe found that Health Plus and Ram Pharma were operating from the same floor, and a network for the alleged illegal diversion of medicines and paper-based transactions was being run through them.
A Saharanpur-based firm named Patient Care Surgical House—reported to have been closed for nearly two years—was also allegedly used for fraudulent purchases and the circulation of paper records.
Medicine were purchased worth Rs 8.87 crore
The role of MK Pharma is also under scrutiny in this case. According to the department, the firm's operator, Manish Bajpai, reported medicine purchases worth approximately Rs 8.87 crore for the financial year 2026. During the investigation, the department allegedly discovered documents showing purchases of Zoryl M1, Augmentin, and Dexorange Syrup made in the names of other firms.
The department stated that old data on a laptop was deleted to conceal evidence. When verification was sought from the manufacturers and relevant firms, they denied selling these medicines and identified the specific batches as counterfeit.
No account found for 39.20 lakh units of Zoryl M1
The investigation revealed that there was no record accounting for approximately 39.20 lakh units of Zoryl M1 associated with MK Pharma. The department alleges that these medicines were illegally offloaded into the market, potentially posing a serious threat to public health and lives. According to FSDA officials, the investigation covers suspicions of fabricating records, forgery, dealing in counterfeit medicines, and amassing illegal wealth. Based on this, action has been taken against the four accused under Sections 111, 276, 277, 278, 318, 319, 336, and 338 of the BNS.
Major network uncovered in Agra
During the FSDA's campaign, several cases involving the illegal trade of counterfeit, re-labeled, and government-supplied medicines came to light in Agra. According to the department, nine FIRs were registered against more than 15 operators following raids in Kambutola, Mubarak Mahal, Shoe Market, and Navabia Market.
Investigations revealed the sale of counterfeit versions of Torrent Pharma’s 'Chymoral Forte' and 'Aciloc' using fake bills, as well as the black-marketing of medicines intended for ESI and government quotas. Additionally, instances were detected where original labels on medicines meant for hospitals and government institutions were removed and replaced with new labels and arbitrary MRPs for sale in the open market. In another operation in Agra, the alleged re-labeling of medicines like 'Telma-H' and 'Jardiance', along with fraudulent billing worth approximately ₹1.88 crore involving defunct or paper-only firms, was exposed.
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