PUDUCHERRY: Lieutenant Governor K Kailashnathan on Monday recommended a CBI and NIA probe into the alleged counterfeit medicine manufacturing racket unearthed in Puducherry.
According to a press release issued from Lok Niwas (Makkal Bhavan), the recommendation was made based on inputs received during the ongoing investigation by the Crime Branch CID (CB-CID).
The Lieutenant Governor (L-G) noted that individuals from multiple states were involved in the racket, necessitating a national-level probe. The move follows repeated demands from various political parties and social organisations, which had urged the L-G to order a CBI inquiry into the large-scale manufacture and circulation of counterfeit medicines and tablets in the Union Territory.
Raja, identified by the police as the prime accused in the case, along with 15 of his associates, has been arrested so far. Investigators have seized large quantities of medicines from 13 manufacturing units operating in Puducherry, of which seven were found to be functioning without a valid licence. All the identified units have been sealed by the authorities and their licences have been cancelled.
Officials stated that fake medicines worth several crores of rupees are suspected to have been produced and circulated through these units, raising serious concerns over public health and safety.
Until now, the case has been investigated by the Puducherry CB-CID and a Special Investigation Team of the police.
In view of the inter-state links, the scale of the operation, and its potential national ramifications, the L-G has formally recommended that both the Central Bureau of Investigation and the National Investigation Agency conduct probe.