Supplier of Spurious Drugs Arrested

CB Initiates Probe; Purchase Committee Members Booked
In a significant move to nail the culprits responsible for supply of spurious drugs to government hospitals in the state, the Crime Branch Sunday registered a case against members of the Purchase Committee of Health and Medical Education Department and a Jammu based pharmaceutical supplier on charges of “adulteration of dugs, committing forgery and cheating.” Crime Branch sleuths also took into custody the proprietor of the Jammu-based firm responsible for supplying spurious drugs to the hospitals.

The said Purchase Committee (II) headed by Director Health Services Jammu, Dr Madhu Khullar comprises Principal Government Medical College Jammu, Dr Anees Choudhary, Member Secretary, Avinder Sharma, Accounts Officer Medical College Jammu, a representative of Drug Controller and a representative of Industries Department as members.
While the members of the Purchase Committee were being accused of hatching a conspiracy and abuse of their official position, the accused proprietorship, M/s Lifeline Pharmaco Surgicals Jammu has allegedly forged the authorization letter of M/s Medley Pharmaceuticals Ltd for securing the contract for supply of the drugs to the government run hospitals in JK, which later turned out to be spurious,
Official sources said that immediately after registration of the case, Crime Branch also arrested a person, Ashok Kumar Raina – said to be the proprietor of the supplier firm – M/s Lifeline Pharmaco Surgicals Jammu.
Interestingly, the former Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma, at a media briefing recently, had claimed that instead of Ashok Kumar Raina the firm was being run by Akhil Gadoo and one Amardeep Raina.
“Some incriminating documents and material has also been recovered during the raids conducted at various places in connection with the investigation of the case”, sources said adding that the preliminary probe indicates that the drugs, found spurious, were manufactured in a factory outside the sate.
According to official sources, a case was registered by the Crime Branch, Jammu under sections 274, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, 120-B RPC r/w Section 5(2) PC Act Svt 2006 and Section 27 of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 against proprietors of M/s Lifeline Pharmaco Surgicals 130/4 Dream City, Mutthi, Jammu and members of the purchase Committee-II of Health and Medical Education Department, Jammu on charges of purchase and supply of spurious drugs.
The spokesman said that the case was registered on the disclosures made by a Departmental Committee, probing the matter.
Referring to the inquiry report, he said, that M/s Lifeline Pharmaco Surgicals, participated in the tender process flouted by the government for the supply of drugs Amoxicillin Trihydrate IP` equivalent to Amoxicillin 500 mg and `Potassium Clavulanate Diluted IP` equivalent to Clavulanate Acid 125 mg, by quoting the rate for 10X10 tablets @ Rs 428.40 for the drug manufactured by M/s Medley Pharmaceuticals Ltd under the brand name Maximizin-625.
An authorization certificate purportedly issued by M/s Medley Pharmaceuticals Ltd was also produced and the rates quoted by the supplier were found the lowest by the Purchase Committee-II.
“During the probe it was found that the M/s Medley Pharmaceuticals Ltd had not issued any authorization to M/s Lifeline Pharmaco Surgicals and the documents were forged to secure the supply contact”, the spokesman said adding that the officials of the Purchase Committee-II, without verifying the tender documents and credentials of the supplier approved the rate contract by abusing their official position, causing wrongful gain to the suppliers and huge loss to the public exchequer and threatening the lives of the people.