my uttarakhand news Bureau
DEHRADUN/KOTDWAR, 23 May: Continuing its crackdown for the second day on Saturday against the criminals involved in the manufacture and sale of fake medicines, the Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) has intensified ‘Operation Fake Pill’ and carried out another major action within 24 hours by sealing an illegal pharmaceutical factory in Kotdwar allegedly involved in the production of counterfeit medicines.
The SSP STF, Ajai Singh shared that the factory, identified as M/s Nector Herbs and Drugs located at SIDCUL Sigaddi in Kotdwar of Pauri Garhwal district, was found operating despite cancellation of its drug manufacturing licence in 2024. During the inspection of the premises, the officials recovered machinery and equipment related to pharmaceutical production and nearly three kilograms of compressed tablets along with 34 punch tools used in tablet manufacturing.
According to the STF, prima facie violations of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, along with other statutory provisions related to factory operations, were detected during the inspection. The officials stated that operation of any pharmaceutical manufacturing unit in Uttarakhand requires a valid licence from the competent authority, adherence to prescribed quality standards and mandatory approvals from concerned departments. Continuing production after cancellation of licence falls under the category of punishable offence.
The factory premises have been sealed as per legal procedure and the recovered material has been taken into police custody for further investigation and legal action. STF officials further revealed that the same factory had earlier faced allegations in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic for allegedly manufacturing fake Remdesivir injections. In another major development, Telangana Police had also conducted a raid at the premises in 2024 and reportedly recovered a large stock of counterfeit medicines and fake packaging material.
SSP STF Ajai Singh added that the action has been carried out under the directions issued by the Uttarakhand Government as part of the “Drug Free Devbhoomi” campaign aimed at eliminating the menace of narcotics and counterfeit medicines from the state. Acting on intelligence inputs, the STF had earlier arrested two members of an international gang allegedly involved in manufacturing counterfeit life-saving medicines resembling branded pharmaceutical products and selling them online.
Following fresh inputs regarding illegal activities at the Kotdwar-based factory, the STF team, along with officials from related departments, conducted an extensive inspection and verification drive at the premises. The factory owner has been identified as Vishad Kumar, son of Bhim Singh, a resident of Chandpur in Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh.
The STF team involved in the operation included Inspector Yadvinder Singh Bajwa, Sub-Inspector Deepak Methani, Additional Sub-Inspector Yogendra Chauhan, Constables Ravi Pant, Deepak Chandola, Prashant Chauhan and Deepak Negi. The joint inspection team also included Senior Drug Inspector Neeraj Kumar, Drug Inspector Seema Bisht, Naib Tehsildar Rajendra Semwal and Revenue Inspector Ashish Kaimani.
Appealing to the public, the SSP STF urged the citizens to immediately report any illegal drug manufacturing unit, fake medicine racket or factory operating without valid licence to the STF or the concerned department.
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