Enforcement Directorate Raids Five Locations in Karnatakas Fake Drug Racket Case
The Enforcement Directorate conducted raids in Bengaluru linked to a fake drug racket, freezing bank accounts and seizing evidence.
Bengaluru, November 2 (Daily Kiran) : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched a significant operation against individuals and entities involved in a fake drug racket in Bengaluru. On November 2, the agency conducted searches at five locations as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) of 2002.
According to an official statement from the ED, the searches were carried out under Section 17 of the PMLA. The case is connected to a First Information Report (FIR) filed on August 18, 2026, at the Tavarekere police station in South Bengaluru.
The investigation began with a joint raid by the Drug Control Authority and local police on a residence in CK Tandya village. During this operation, authorities discovered evidence of pharmaceuticals being stored without valid licenses or permits, as well as alterations to labeling.
Charges have been filed under Section 318(4) of the Indian Penal Code, 2023, and Section 63 of the Copyright Act, 1957, both of which fall under the category of scheduled offenses as per the PMLA. Following this, the ED registered an Enforcement Case Information Report to initiate its investigation.
The probe revealed that R. Prashant had arranged for a farmhouse near Bidadi, where drugs were manufactured, repackaged, and relabeled without the necessary drug licenses or permissions. The ED found that inexpensive medications were purchased in bulk from manufacturing centers across various states and then repackaged into new vials, marketed as expensive drugs. These vials were fraudulently labeled as Pfizer antibiotics, including Javisefita and Emblavio, despite containing generic medications.
The investigation also indicated that these counterfeit drugs were allegedly distributed through DM Pharmaceuticals and subsequently supplied to Kripa Healthcare. Kripa Healthcare then mixed these products with legitimate medications before distributing them to other pharmaceutical companies and hospitals, thus avoiding detection.
During the raids, the ED froze bank accounts belonging to Veeresh Kumar, which held approximately ₹900,000. Additionally, several digital devices, records, and incriminating documents were seized. The ED has stated that the investigation is ongoing, with a focus on unraveling the entire network involved in this operation.
