Gujarat man conned after filing complaint on PMO website
New Delhi: A man from Gujarat who had filed a complaint on the website of Prime Minister's Office came in for a rude shock as money was stolen from his bank account by a person who claimed to be working at the "PMO Insurance Cell".
The CBI registered a case in the matter nearly 10 months after receiving a complaint in this regard from the PMO.
The CBI was informed by the Prime Minister's Office through a letter dated September 5, 2018, detailing the incident faced by Umeshchandra Tank, a resident of Jamnagar.
Tank had filed a complaint against New India Assurance on the grievance portal of Prime Minister's Office on June 15 last year.
After filing the complaint, he started receiving calls from a person claiming to be one Mathew from "PMO Insurance Cell", Tank alleged.
The person allegedly told Tank that in order to solve his problem, his bank account needs to be linked to the complaint for which he gave directions related to one time password (OTP) generation, the complaint said.
He took the card and using the OTP managed to transfer Rs 999 and Rs 18,000 over a period of three days from Tank's Bank of Baroda account, it said.
Sensing that he has been cheated, Tank again approached the PMO narrating his ordeal on the grievance portal.
The top office referred the matter to the CBI, saying, "Prima facie this is a case of impersonation wherein the name of PMO has been misused for committing financial fraud."
The CBI said the complaint prima facie relates to crime under IPC sections related to cheating and violation of the Information Technology Act.
"I have received a call and an e-mail from CBI officers in Delhi. I have provided them the details," Tank told PTI over phone.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Spurious ointment racket busted; Delhi Police recovers material worth Rs 2 crore from Ghaziabad unit
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has busted a major interstate racket allegedly involved in the manufacture, repackaging and nationwide sale of spurious Schedule-H medicines, an official said on Sunday.
Police have also located a manufacturing unit and seized counterfeit drugs and raw material worth over Rs 2.3 crore.
According to the police, two men -- Gaurav Bhagat, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, and Shree Ram alias Vishal Gupta of northeast Delhi's Sabhapur -- have been arrested in the case, he said.
"The operation was carried out by the Crime Branch. The accused were engaged in producing and selling counterfeit versions of popular prescription ointments, including Betnovate-C and Clop-G, which are widely used for treating skin infections, allergies and sports-related injuries," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Aditya Gautam said in a statement.
The officer further said the spurious medicines were sold as genuine branded products, posing a serious risk to public health.
Acting on inputs, the Crime Branch team first conducted a raid at Teliwara in Sadar Bazar, one of the country's largest wholesale pharmaceutical and cosmetic markets.
"During the raid, a large quantity of counterfeit Schedule-H ointments was recovered. Subsequent technical analysis and follow-up intelligence led the team to a manufacturing unit operating from Meerpur Hindu village in the Loni area of Ghaziabad.
"A search of the premises resulted in the recovery of counterfeit medicines, huge quantities of raw chemicals, packing material, empty tubes bearing forged brand labels and machinery used for mixing, filling and sealing ointments," the DCP said.
He further said drug inspectors from the North and Central Zones of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, along with authorised representatives of the concerned pharmaceutical companies, conducted spot inspections and drew samples from the seized stock. They confirmed that the medicines were counterfeit and neither manufactured nor supplied by their companies.
The accused were also found to be operating without any valid licence to manufacture, store or sell pharmaceutical products, he added.
Police said that an FIR was registered at the Crime Branch police station on December 12 under various sections of the BNS and provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
"The seized material included around 1,200 tubes of spurious Betnovate-C ointment, over 2,700 tubes of fake Clop-G, more than 3,700 tubes of spurious Skin-Shine ointment, nearly 22,000 empty fake Clop-G tubes, over 350 kilograms of semi-prepared ointment, besides chemicals and manufacturing equipment," the DCP said.
He said further investigation is underway to trace the entire supply chain, including wholesalers, distributors, delivery handlers and retailers involved in the illegal trade.
