New Delhi: Exploiting the financial strain faced by families grappling with cancer treatment, a nationwide racket allegedly peddled stolen and counterfeit medicines at heavily discounted rates, offering costly drugs for a fraction of their market price.Investigators said medicines worth lakhs of rupees were allegedly sold at discounts of 60-70%. In one instance, a cancer drug priced at about Rs 2 lakh per vial was allegedly sold for Rs 70,000-Rs 75,000, luring families burdened by treatment costs.According to police, the gang used business-to-business online marketplaces to advertise cancer medicines at unusually low prices. The accused also promoted the drugs through WhatsApp statuses and other informal channels to reach potential buyers.Their search for customers extended across the country, investigators said. Members of the racket allegedly travelled to different cities and visited at least 10-15 cancer hospitals, looking for patients and families urgently seeking affordable medicines.The investigation revealed that the network had links close to hospitals. Former chemists, medical salespersons and hospital ward boys were allegedly involved in procuring medicines and supplying them to chemists operating near hospitals. The drugs were then routed through pharmacists and brokers before reaching patients.Two of the accused, Satish Kumar (30) and Mukesh (30), were familiar with the anti-cancer medicine trade due to their previous experience in the pharmaceutical sector. Satish had worked at a medical store for about 10 years, while Mukesh spent around seven years working at a relative’s medical store in Gurgaon.Investigators alleged that Satish acted as an intermediary between members of the racket and supplied anti-cancer injections without proper documentation. Mukesh, meanwhile, had allegedly been procuring anti-cancer medicines from hospitals since 2023 and supplying them to pharmacists and brokers.Another accused, Anand Kumar (42) of Noida, allegedly played a key role in the supply chain. Police said he had previously run a pharmaceutical firm in Dhanbad. Investigators recovered 337 anti-cancer vials and a large quantity of other medicines from his possession and premises.So far, the probe has found that the syndicate sourced costly anti-cancer medicines through three main channels: counterfeit drugs procured from unauthorised suppliers, diversion of medicines meant for cancer patients from hospitals, and diversion of govt-supplied medicines from govt institutions and warehouses.Police said the medicines were obtained without valid invoices, purchase records, drug licences or other mandatory documentation. They were allegedly stored at residential and other locations before being distributed through a network of intermediaries. Investigators also found that the accused retained original cartons and empty medicine boxes, which were allegedly reused for repackaging the drugs.
