Last Updated on June 17, 2020 by The Health Master
At a time when people are living under the fear of Covid-19 and forced to buy facemasks and sanitisers, some unscrupulous elements are using the challenging time as an opportunity to con people by selling spurious sanitisers.
A team, led by Zonal Licensing Authority (Drugs) Kulwinder Singh, seized 1,048 bottles of spurious sanitiser being sold in the market on Tuesday.
While the accused, identified as Lavish Kumar Grover, managed to escape, the team managed to seize the consignment of spurious sanitiser and the Ford Endeavour SUV, in which the accused had come to deliver the consignment.
It is learnt that Grover, who is already facing charges of selling spurious health supplements, was selling the sanitiser by claiming to be an agent of the company concerned.
ZLA Kulwinder Singh said the seizure was made following a trap laid by the owner of the firm on whose brand name the accused was selling the spurious hand sanitiser.
“On the basis of a complaint received from the proprietor of the firm, M/s Ron and Baker, Ambala, Haryana, regarding the sale of spurious product, Medshield hand sanitiser of his company, a team comprising drug control officers (DCOs) Rupinder Kaur and Rooppreet Kaur, conducted a raid on a site opposite the Malhi Farm, Haibowal Kalan, and seized 1,048 bottles of spurious hand sanitiser,” said Kulwinder Singh.
Kulwinder Singh added proprietor of the firm, Ron Baker, Sunil Dutt, had received complaints that one Lavish Kumar was selling spurious hand sanitisers of Dutt’s company and, by doing so, he was spoiling the image of his company.
Sunil Dutt pursued the matter and posed himself as a decoy customer and, on his demand, Lavish Grover came on SUV for delivery of spurious sanitiser opposite the Malhi Farm.
As Lavish parked his SUV, Sunil Dutt parked his vehicle behind that of Lavish, so that he could not flee in the vehicle when caught.
In the meantime, the team raided the site and, on seeing the team, Lavish Grover fled leaving behind the sanitiser bottles and his SUV. Two types of drug sanitisers (total 32 bottles) were taken for test and analysis. Besides a total of 1,016 x 120 ml units of spurious sanitiser were recovered.
Kulwinder Singh, said, “The recovered product is imitation of the original product, Medshield. Its label bears the name of company, M/s Ron and Baker, but actually it is not the product of the firm as per the statement and complaint of proprietor of Ron and Baker, Sunil Dutt.”
Lavish Kumar and his accomplice Rahul were booked under Section 17-B of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 and the matter was referred to police for registration of an FIR under section 17-B read with Section 36 AC of the said Act, said Kulwinder Singh.
The Health Master is now on Telegram. For latest update on health and Pharmaceuticals, subscribe to The Health Master on Telegram.
