Garhwal Post Bureau
HASAN HADI, 28 Jun: The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) has arrested Naveen Bansal, a key figure involved in manufacturing and supplying fake medicines under the names of top pharmaceutical companies. These fake medicines included drugs used for blood pressure and paracetamol, primarily targeting patients over the age of 50.
Investigations revealed that about 15 per cent of the medicines in the market may be fake, senior officer said. A case has been registered against the accused under Sections 63, 65 of the Copyright Act, Sections 318(4), 336, and 340 of the BNS, Drugs and Cosmetics Act, Information Technology Act.
The accused supplied these counterfeit medicines to various medical suppliers across multiple states, including Dehradun, especially in areas near Kargi Chowk.
STF SSP Navneet Singh Bhullar said that Naveen Bansal was closely linked to another accused, Santosh Kumar, who was arrested earlier on June 1, 2025, from Selaqui. Santosh was caught with a large stock of fake medicine packaging and labeling material. During questioning, Santosh revealed that he used to receive fake boxes and labels from Naveen Bansal to prepare the counterfeit drugs.
The STF found that these fake medicines were being sold under brand names of reputed companies like Glenmark, Alkem, Intas, Dr. Reddy’s, and Cadila. The packaging, labels, and QR codes looked genuine, making it difficult to detect the fakes. Shockingly, the STF discovered that over 100 QR codes were printed on a single box to avoid detection and tracking.
The accused often used the alias “Akshay”, but his real name is Naveen Bansal. He is currently out on bail from a previous arrest by Delhi Police in a similar fake medicine case in 2018. His name had also surfaced in a Panchkula fake medicine racket.
STF also revealed that Naveen had registered a pharma company in Rajasthan, where he resides. He reportedly operated from abandoned or unused buildings to avoid suspicion while producing these fake medicines.
The STF said that the distribution is usually done via two methods – either directly through company supplies or through licensed stockists. Naveen used the second route by tying up with stockists who were looking to purchase large quantities of medicines at cheaper rates.
The STF has seized two PAN cards from the accused and contacted banks to freeze his accounts. Authorities are also working to cancel his bail in the Delhi case. Raids have been conducted at various locations where these fake medicines were being manufactured.
The STF is continuing its investigation to identify others involved in this dangerous racket, which poses a serious threat to public health.
