The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested an IIT (BHU) graduate from Bihar while broadening its investigation into the manufacturing and sale of fake cancer and chemotherapy drugs.
Arrest of Aditya Krishna from Muzaffarpur has taken the total number of people held in the case to eight.
Police, who announced the arrest on Wednesday, said Krishna procured the fake medicines from one of the masterminds of the racket, Neeraj Chauhan.
The engineering graduate then sold these medicines in Bihar, Delhi-NCR, and Pune. He also ran his own chemist shop from where these medicines were sold.Police are raiding two locations in Uttar Pradesh to catch more suspects.
Krishna used to lure cancer patients with fake medicines, offering them at cheaper rates at his shop.
Krishna is being brought to Delhi. “He was in contact with Neeraj and his relative Tushar Chauhan…. He was lured by the duo on the pretext of high profits,” an officer said. The initial interrogation revealed that he sold the fake injections for Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 each, making a neat sum. Police earlier said that an investigation had shown that the vials sold as cancer-fighting drugs were actually anti-fungal medicine which cost Rs 100.
“We suspect that he (Krishna) may have sold over 30 injections to people,” the officer added.
Police said they had found fake medicines in Krishna’s shop. Neeraj, one of the arrested accused and one of the kingpins, primarily targeted foreign patients.
According to police, he operated a medical tourism company from two locations – in Sagarpur and Gurgaon. TOI Visited his supposed firm in Sagarpur, but discovered that it was actually a house where his family lived.
A board of Neeraj’s company was stuck outside with the phone number on it. When TOI called the number, a woman answered and refused to comment on the matter. woman who was in the flat also refused to speak.
According to the company website, the firm offered treatment for cancer, organ transplant, neuroscience, cardiology, orthopaedic procedures, pulmonology and gastroenterology. It claimed to have 20 branches and over 80 doctors on its panels.
The website showed that the firm had tie-ups with at least 10 prominent hospitals. His social media profile claimed that Neeraj was a manager at a hospital in Gurgaon.
The residents of Sagarpur said they came to know about the incident through news channels and papers. “Two years ago, Neeraj shifted to Gurgaon. His family still lives here. He… rarely spoke to anyone. It was through the newspaper we came to know about his involvement,” a retired government official, who lives in the locality, said.
A woman neighbour said: “A few days ago, I saw Tushar (another accused) roaming in the area.”