Fake antibiotic drugs, abortion-inducing medicines worth Rs 40 lakh seized in Gujarat
Ahmedabad (PTI): Fake antibiotic drugs and medicines used to induce abortion worth nearly Rs 40 lakh have been seized from two different locations in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district, an official said Friday. Two persons have been detained for questioning, he said.
Based on a tip-off, officials of the Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) raided a medical shop in the Girdharnagar area of Himmatnagar on Thursday and seized a large quantity of fake antibiotic drugs, said a release by FDCA Commissioner HG Koshia.
The seizure included fake antibiotic medicines, claiming to contain components like cefixime, azithromycin and bacillus, worth Rs 25 lakh, said Koshia. These actual antibiotics are used for the treatment of serious diseases.
The name of the manufacturer mentioned on the medicines was Meg Life Sciences, Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh'. When officials contacted Himachal Pradesh's drug controller, it was revealed that no such company exists.
When the shop owner Harsh Thakkar could not produce any sale or purchase bills for these medicines, it was established that these drugs were fake, said the release.
While four samples of seized medicines were sent to a Vadodara-based laboratory for analysis, Thakkar is being questioned to find out the source of these fake medicines, said officials.
Later during the day, the FDCA team raided a house near Himmatnagar town hall and seized abortifacient (abortion-inducing drugs), and other medicines worth Rs 12.74 lakh.
It was revealed that the owner of Swaminarayan Medical Agency, Dhaval Patel, had stored these medicines for illegal sale at his residence without acquiring any permission from the authorities.
FDCA said it will initiate court proceedings as per the law against Thakkar and Patel after receipt of the laboratory results. Both are now being questioned to find out from whom they used to acquire these medicines and to whom they were selling them, said the release.
The development comes days after authorities seized fake antibiotic drugs worth Rs 17.5 lakh in raids across various cities of Gujarat and detained four persons.
FDCA had said that some of these persons worked as medical representatives of "benami" companies and used to deliver fake medicines to doctors.
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Rain wreaks havoc in Bengaluru, kills 10
Bengaluru (PTI):The rains in Bengaluru on Wednesday evening wreaked havoc, killing 10 people, authorities said.
Heavy rains coupled with a hailstorm and gusty winds uprooted trees, flooded many key stretches and threw traffic out of gear, they said on Thursday.
Large parts of the city witnessed sudden, intense rainfall for nearly an hour, bringing down trees and electric poles, crushing parked vehicles and inundating low-lying areas, while several roads were rendered impassable, severely disrupting vehicular movement during peak hours.
Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed when a compound wall of the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital collapsed amid the downpour.
Among the deceased, two were from Kerala who were on a study tour. They had taken shelter near the wall when it gave way, they said.
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In another incident, a 35-year-old man, identified as Raghu, died of electrocution on Bannerghatta Road near Vega City Mall.
In a separate case in Yarab Nagar, a student, Syed Sufiyan died after coming into contact with a live electric wire while attempting to park his motorcycle during the rain, police said.
One more fatality was reported from Chamarajapet, where Manjunath died on the spot after a cement block fell and pierced through the roof of a house during the storm.
The sudden spell of rain left a trail of destruction across the city.
“So far, 10 people have died due to rain-related incidents in Bengaluru,” police said, attributing the deaths to wall collapse, electrocution and structural damage triggered by the storm.
Civic authorities said at least 87 trees were uprooted and 131 branches snapped across the city, disrupting daily life.
Of these, 60 trees and 98 branches had been cleared, while restoration work was ongoing.
Several cars and two-wheelers parked along roadsides were crushed under fallen trees.
Key junctions and underpasses were waterlogged, with the KR Circle underpass completely submerged, forcing police to barricade the stretch due to lack of drainage.
Fallen branches and stalled vehicles further worsened traffic congestion, leaving commuters stranded for hours.
Officials said buildings suffered partial damage in several areas, while the sudden and unanticipated nature of the storm caught many residents off guard. Authorities have issued a rain alert for the next three days.
