Pramesh S Jain
The kingpin of the fake medicine racket,Prashanth who is in SIT custody allegedly travelled to Turkey several times to procure original pharmaceutical labels,which were later used on counterfeit medicines,investigators have found.
The revelation has shed new light on the international links of the racket and the methods allegedly used to pass off fake drugs as genuine products.
According to sources,Prashanth travelled to Turkey several times a year,reportedly in connection with obtaining original labels of a pharmaceutical company.
However,his Turkey visa was cancelled on multiple occasions,following which he is suspected to have begun travelling to neighbouring countries.
Sources said the accused also travelled to several other countries,including Azerbaijan,and that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has obtained information regarding these foreign trips.
Investigators suspect that Prashanth was procuring original pharmaceutical labels from Turkey through intermediaries.
These genuine labels were allegedly affixed to counterfeit medicines,which were then repackaged and supplied as genuine products.
The SIT investigation has reportedly revealed that the accused and his associates were allegedly mixing counterfeit medicines with original medicines and supplying them to the market.
Officials are continuing to investigate the international network behind the alleged counterfeit medicine operation,including the role of intermediaries who helped procure pharmaceutical labels and the destinations visited by the accused.
