Officials of the Drug Wing of the Food Safety and Drug Administration inspect and seized spurious medicines worth over ₹5 crore during a raid on an unlicensed repackaging unit near the Bidadi toll gate in Bengaluru South district on August 18, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the spurious drugs manufacturing and sale racket arrested the alleged kingpin R. Prashanth, who had been absconding and was reportedly hiding in Azerbaijan after the case came to light.
A lookout notice had been issued against Prashanth. SIT officials arrested him at Kempegowda International Airport when he returned to Bengaluru from abroad, investigation sources said on September 28.
The arrest was reportedly made based on the statement of another accused, Veeresh Jain, who has a shop at Minerva Circle in Bengaluru. Prashanth is now being questioned by the SIT.
After his arrest, Prashanth was taken for a medical examination and subsequently brought to the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner’s Office, where SIT officials are recording his preliminary statement.
According to sources, the SIT is likely to produce Prashanth before a judge later on Monday after medical examination.
The Tavarekere police had in August this year raided a farm house near Bidadi and seized suspected counterfeit medicines worth around ₹5 crore, along with fake bills, injection-filling equipment and counterfeit labels. Later, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to probe the wider racket.
The kingpin Prashanth managed to escape during the raid and was holed up in Azarbaijan since then.
Published – September 28, 2026 10:19 am IST
