BHUBANESWAR: The Special Task Force (STF) of the Crime Branch on Wednesday arrested the director and two other staff of Cuttack-based Medilloyd Medicament Private Limited for their alleged involvement in the spurious Covid-19 drugs trade.
Crime Branch sources said Medilloyd Medicament had procured Favimax-400 tablets from Max Relief Healthcare whose proprietor Sudeep Mukherjee was earlier arrested by the Mumbai police for allegedly manufacturing and supplying fake Covid-19 drugs to Maharashtra and other states.
“Multiple teams were formed and investigation into the matter was launched at various places. Currently, the probe is continuing in Odisha, West Bengal and Maharashtra,” Crime Branch ADG YK Jethwa told the reporters.
Mukherjee's dubious company Max Relief had manufactured Favimax tablets and was supplying them to various parts of the country. Apart from him, one more person was also nabbed by Mumbai Police in connection with the fake Covid-19 drugs trade.
“Our team is in Mumbai to collect more evidence. Medilloyd Medicament had procured Favimax tablets from Max Relief at a very low cost and it had supplied to another trader in Gwalior. The STF has traced and frozen three bank accounts with deposited amount of over Rs 50 lakh of Medilloyd's director and two other accused. Further probe is on,” said Jethwa.
Medilloyd had reportedly procured one strip of Favimax-400 (10 tablets) for Rs 65 and had planned to sale it for Rs 1,290.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had ordered a Crime Branch probe into the alleged spurious drugs trade on June 14 after fake Favipiravir tablets were seized from the wholesaler in Cuttack earlier in the month.
Based on the complaint filed by the Directorate of Drugs Control Administration, the STF had registered a case in this connection under Sections 275, 276, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120B of IPC and Section 27(c) of Drugs and Cosmetics Act.