BENGALURU
The Special Investigation Team looking into the massive fake medicine racket operated from a Ramanagara farmhouse has hit a legal roadblock. To ensure a thorough investigation without procedural delays, the probing team has formally approached the state Home Department for special legal powers.
The major counterfeit drug operation came to light after police raided an isolated farmhouse in Dodderi village. Local residents had grown suspicious of luxury cars visiting the property late at night and noticed that owners kept aggressive guard dogs to scare away visitors. Investigators discovered that the syndicate was using local delivery apps to ship around one hundred bottles of fake pharmaceuticals every week directly from the rural hideout to buyers across Bengaluru.
Authorities have already issued a lookout notice for Prashanth, who is suspected of being the primary mastermind behind the illegal network. While the state government promptly formed a special team due to the gravity of the crimes, current regulations create jurisdictional complications. Under standard rules, only official drug control board officers possess direct authority to file formal charges and investigate offenses under the strict Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
Because manufacturing and distributing lethal counterfeit drugs can carry sentences as severe as life imprisonment, investigators held a high-level meeting at the police commissioner’s office. Following those discussions, officials decided to petition the Home Department. They are requesting official authorization to bypass normal limitations so the SIT can independently file cases, inspect records, and conduct a comprehensive probe into the pharmaceutical mafia without running into bureaucratic hurdles.