{
  "id": 6978830,
  "title": "Large stock of counterfeit medicines seized from private facility in Bengaluru",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/large-stock-of-counterfeit-medicines-seized-from-private-facility-in",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-12T19:30:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/large-stock-of-counterfeit-medicines-seized-from-private-facility-in-bengaluru/article71459863.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Saturday, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising police and drug inspectors made a significant seizure of suspected counterfeit medicines at a private facility in Bengaluru. The facility, Krupa Healthcare, was raided alongside 10 other locations in six states, including Karnataka, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra.\n\nThe owner, Veeresh Kumar Jain, a former business partner of the alleged kingpin Prashanth, was arrested as part of this coordinated operation. It is suspected that the facility was supplying counterfeit cancer medicines, critical life-saving drugs, and ICU injections to over 90 hospitals and clinics in Bengaluru. Authorities are examining seized batch numbers and records to trace all establishments involved in receiving the counterfeits.\n\nThe investigation began on August 18 when authorities raided a farmhouse in Bidadi, discovering approximately ₹4.91 crore worth of suspected counterfeit medicines, alongside fake bills, injection-filling equipment, and counterfeit labels. It is alleged that Jain, who had operated his firm for five years, had ties to Prashanth, who investigators consider a key figure in the counterfeit drug network.\n\nInvestigators suspect that low-cost rebranded medicines were acquired, repackaged, and resold under various brand names. Even medicines from renowned pharmaceutical companies were allegedly given counterfeit labels before distribution. The seized medicines were stored at a Minerva Circle warehouse before being distributed across Bengaluru and nearby areas at around 50% discounts. A network of over 15 medical representatives is also under suspicion for distributing the counterfeits to hospitals and pharmacies.\n\nThe seized medicines are currently undergoing laboratory tests to verify their authenticity and quality. Authorities have blocked batch numbers on the Karnataka FDA portal as a precautionary measure. The hunt for Prashanth continues, and his testimony is expected to provide more insights into the alleged racket, including its financial transactions, procurement network, and distribution channels.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}