In a collaborative operation, the Special Task Force and the Prohibition and Excise Department joined forces with Telangana’s Drugs Control Administration (DCA) to dismantle a counterfeit antibiotic drug syndicate in Hyderabad.
The operation uncovered a network smuggling counterfeit antibiotic pills from Uttar Pradesh to Telangana via courier services. Investigators from STF and DCA executed a raid on a courier service, obtaining information about the sender of the packages.
The counterfeit antibiotics confiscated include Jakclav-625 (amoxicillin and potassium clavulanate), Jikpod-CV (cefpodoxime and potassium clavulanate), Jikcef-LB (cefixime and lactic acid bacillus), and Jikcf AZ (cefixime and azithromycin). Fentanyl transdermal patches, a narcotic, were also secured, DCA officials disclosed to a trusted org.
The main suspect, who has a criminal history and is currently out on bail, was apprehended along with his aide, Munishekhar from Proddutur in Andhra Pradesh, by the excise department’s STF.
According to insiders, Gandla Ramulu allegedly transported counterfeit antibiotics from Uttar Pradesh to Telangana. The seized contraband was valued at approximately Rs. 6.91 lakhs. DCA’s prior intelligence warned of the spurious drugs’ route into Telangana from Uttar Pradesh.
Upon receiving credible intelligence, officials raided Shree Tirupati Courier Services Pvt. Ltd in Balanagar, discovering parcels originating from Shree Pharma in front of Gayatri Hospital, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. They were en route to Shiv Pharma Distributors, IDPL Colony, Adarshnagar, Hyderabad.
Authorities monitored the delivery originating from Uttar Pradesh and traced the package to Gandla Ramulu at KarmanGhat. Ramulu, a repeat offender, faces multiple pending counterfeit drug charges within the state. Earlier, in February 2024, his arrest by Malakpet police, amid a spurious drug operation, prompted a joint state operation in Uttarakhand with Telangana’s DCA, Police Commissioner’s Task Force, and Malakpet Police. This coordinated effort led to uncovering a counterfeit drug unit, Nectar Herbs and Drugs, in Kotdwara, Uttarakhand, along with arresting those responsible.
Further, officers raided a crockery shop in Karmanghat where Ramulu received the package. They confiscated four kinds of counterfeit antibiotic drugs. During questioning, he confessed to acquiring the fake drugs from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh via Munishekhar of Proddutur in Andhra Pradesh. He intended to distribute the drugs to Kumar of Karimnagar and Bhaskar of Kurnool for commercialization.
The manufacturer and marketing firms labeled—Geenac Pharma, Plot No. 582, Raipur, Bhagwanpur, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, and Wellnow Healthcare, Karnal Industrial Estate, Borivali East, Mumbai—were found to be fictitious entities, as reported by the DCA.