Bengaluru: The investigation into the multi-crore fake drug racket took an unexpected turn after suspected kingpin R Prashant, 36, who is holed up in Azerbaijan, claimed that immigration officials there had impounded his passport after accusing him of attempting to sell it to locals for money.A resident of Papareddypalya and a medical representative by profession, Prashant flew to Azerbaijan in the last week of July for business, sources said. His visa is set to expire on Sept 9, they added.In mid-Aug, the Karnataka Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FSDA), in coordination with local police, busted a counterfeit medicine manufacturing and repackaging operation near Tavarakere in Ramanagara district, on Bengaluru’s southern outskirts. The govt subsequently formed a special investigation team comprising three IPS officers and FSDA officials to probe the racket.The illegal operation had reportedly been running from a warehouse for nearly a year.The operators allegedly sourced cheap or spurious medicines from units in other states, including Himachal Pradesh and Telangana, and repackaged and relabelled them under the brand names of major multinational pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer. The medicines were then sold at inflated prices.“The SIT is in touch with suspect Prashant’s wife and through her, he passed the message stating immigration agents have seized his passport. In Azerbaijan, many Indian nationals after landing there sell their passport to locals for a handsome amount. The purchasers change the name, pictures and other details in the passport and use it as forged passport for other individuals. Then, they approach Indian embassy stating the passport has been lost. The officials issue a temporary passport and visa to fly back to India. Meanwhile, the illegal immigration agents sell the original passport to people from other nationalities who aspire to enter Europe or USA by forging the document. This has been a big racket running there. Also, Prashant’s wife told that her husband was in need of money (around Rs 10 lakh in Indian currency) to get a temporary passport,” sources said.The SIT has so far arrested four people in connection with the fake drug racket.A senior officer said the accused had supplied repackaged Pfizer drugs to several private, multi-speciality and govt hospitals across Bengaluru and other parts of the state. “Once we take Prashant into custody, we can get details of the hospitals that received these drugs from him,” the officer said.
