Pune: A racket involving the illegal sale of prescription drugs, specifically those that can cause intoxication, has been exposed by the Parvati Police.

Drugs that require a doctor's prescription for purchase were being fraudulently ordered under the name of a legitimate medical store and sold illegally for narcotic use.

As a result, four individuals, including a partner of a drug manufacturing company, have been charged with criminal offenses.

The case came to light after Viren Savla, the owner of Maharashtra Agencies, a medical store in Parvati, received a suspicious bill for a Codeine-based syrup Lykarex-T.

Savla, who had not placed any such order, immediately contacted Balaji Pharma Care, the drug manufacturer in Bhiwandi, via email, to alert them of the discrepancy.

Despite this, he received a second bill for the same product, raising concerns that his store's name was being used to sell drugs illegally for intoxication purposes.

Upon further investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it was found that the drug order was placed under the name of Maharashtra Agencies by a man named Sameer Sheikh, who claimed to own a medical store called National Medico in Kondhwa. However, when FDA officials inspected the alleged store, they found that it did not exist.

Further inquiries at Balaji Pharma Care revealed that Sameer Sheikh had forged the stamp of Maharashtra Agencies to place the order. It was discovered that the drugs, worth ₹2,89,800, were directly received from a courier warehouse by Sheikh, despite the original store owner, Savla, denying any involvement. The drugs were being supplied for illegal narcotic use in collusion with Balaji Pharma Care.

As a result of the investigation, Sameer Sheikh, his wife Samreen Sheikh, and two partners of Balaji Pharma Care, Dhirendra Prasadsingh and Rajiv Dedhiya, have been charged with forgery, fraud, and illegal drug distribution. The case is currently being investigated by police sub-inspector Sachin Pawar.