Delhi police on Sunday raided a counterfeit antacid manufacturing unit and seized 91,000 fake sachets, raw materials and packaging material, underlining the growing spread of spurious consumer goods countrywide that poses a public health threat.
A crime branch officer said two men — Sandeep Jain, 45, and Jitender alias Chhotu, 23 — had been arrested on the charge of operating the unit and remanded in two days’ police custody.
Earlier this month, Gujarat police had unearthed a factory that allegedly produced counterfeit Colgate toothpaste, while a unit accused of making counterfeit toothpaste and antacid powder was busted in Delhi.
The spotlight on the counterfeit racket comes at a time when the country’s drug regulators and medicine makers are under the scanner, too, with India-made cough syrups linked to child deaths abroad and, more recently, in Madhya Pradesh.
The counterfeit trade in India has evolved into a sprawling shadow industry, spanning everything from pharmaceuticals to packaged food.
That products like antacids and other over-the-counter medicines, as well as oral care products like toothpaste, are now part of this network underlines the scale of the crisis and the health risks.
Fake antacids may contain harmful chemicals or incorrect dosages that could lead to stomach irritation, acid reflux or allergic reactions, experts say.
Crime branch sleuths conducted Sunday’s raid, in the Ibrahimpur area of north Delhi, on a complaint from an authorised antacid manufacturer.
They found a fully functional factory that allegedly produced counterfeit antacids, replicating the original brand’s packaging and production process, an officer said.
“During the search, the police recovered 91,257 sachets of fake products, 80kg of raw materials, 13kg of company-printed rolls, 54,780 stickers, 2,100 unprepared packets and a machine used for filling and packaging the sachets,” he said.
“The seized products were ready for large-scale circulation in the market, posing a serious threat to public health. Raids are on to identify and trace other people associated with the racket, including the suppliers and distributors.”
While raiding a factory earlier this month in Jagatpur, north Delhi, which allegedly produced counterfeit toothpaste and antacid powder, the police seized more than 25,000 filled toothpaste tubes and more than 15,000 empty tubes.
Fourteen packaging rolls for the fake antacid, weighing about 50kg each, too were seized along with 11,100 filled and unfilled pouches, four drums of raw powder weighing 20kg each, and one large processing machine.