Delhi Police Cracks Fake Drug Network, Counterfeit Ultracet, Augmentin Seized, 6 Held
New Delhi: The Delhi Police Crime Branch has busted a major interstate racket manufacturing and supplying counterfeit life-saving medicines under the brand names of reputed pharma companies such as Johnson & Johnson (JnJ) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), arresting six people including the alleged kingpin, Rajesh Mishra (52) of Gorakhpur.
According to police and media reports, acting on a tip-off the Anti-Gang Squad intercepted a WagonR at the HP CNG Petrol Pump on Shyamnath Marg, Civil Lines, on July 30, 2025, and detained two occupants — Mohammad Alam (35) and Mohammad Salim (42) from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh. The vehicle was found carrying counterfeit Ultracet tablets (Johnson & Johnson) and Augmentin 625 tablets (GSK). Representatives of the companies confirmed the packaging was fake, which was further validated by laboratory analysis .
Subsequent interrogation led police to two illegal manufacturing facilities, one operating in Jind, Haryana, under the name Maha Laxmi (as per The Indian Express) and another in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh. PTI reports that raids at these sites yielded about 150 kg of loose tablets, 20 kg of loose capsules, ~9,000 Ultracet tablets, 6,100 Augmentin tablets, raw materials, and packaging machinery. In all, more than 1.1 lakh counterfeit tablets and capsules were seized .
The arrested accused were identified as Rajesh Mishra (52), Parmanand (factory operator), Mohammad Alam (35), Mohammad Salim (42), Md Zuvaier (29) and Prem Shankar Prajapati (25). Police said the group sourced packaging materials from Baddi, replicated brand labels using sophisticated equipment, and distributed the counterfeit stock across Uttar Pradesh (Moradabad, Deoria, Gorakhpur), Haryana (Panipat, Jind), Himachal Pradesh (Baddi, Solan), and Delhi .
Investigators revealed that the syndicate used encrypted messaging apps, hawala channels, and fake bank accounts to move money, while social media was deployed for sales promotion .
A senior Crime Branch official told Indian Express that the operation was “pan-India in scale and targeted life-saving medicines of reputed brands,” adding that the priority now is to trace the full supply and financial chain involved in the racket .
Also Read: CDSCO, Himachal Drug Authority bust fake drug racket in Paonta Sahib
