LUCKNOW, July 9 -- Following the recovery of suspected counterfeit medicines from an unattended carton near Alambagh Metro station during a late-night operation on July 6, the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) launched coordinated raids across Lucknow and Varanasi to dismantle an alleged inter-district racket, officials said. The probe began after officials seized around 7,700 tablets of two widely sold allopathic medicines worth about Rs.1.6 lakh. The operation targeted distributors, stockists and medical stores suspected of supplying counterfeit medicines, relabelled expired drugs, diverted government supplies and physician samples. During the crackdown, officials raided 25 pharmaceutical firms, collected 52 drug samples for lab analysis, seized suspected counterfeit medicines worth over Rs.26 lakh, and registered criminal cases. A Varanasi resident was arrested near Alambagh who allegedly told investigators the medicines had been procured without bills or a valid licence from a trader in Varanasi before being transported to Lucknow. Based on the seizure, an FIR was registered at Alambagh police station under sections 318(4), 319(2), 276, 277 and 278 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Acting on leads from the Lucknow operation, FSDA teams, accompanied by police, raided another premises in Varanasi, where they allegedly found a large stock of allopathic medicines stored without a valid drug licence. The proprietor was arrested, while medicines worth about Rs.25 lakh were sealed and 12 samples were collected for testing. A separate FIR was registered at Manduwadih police station under sections 277, 278 and 318(4) of the BNS, 2023. Officials suspect the two cases are linked to an inter-district network dealing in counterfeit medicines. Action under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act will be initiated against those found guilty, they said. As part of the statewide campaign conducted on July 6 and 7, a special team of 18 drug inspectors carried out intelligence-based inspections in Lucknow. According to the secretary and commissioner, FSDA, Roshan Jacob, the drive is aimed at dismantling the entire counterfeit medicine supply chain rather than merely seizing fake products from the market. htc...