Stock of fake weight loss drug worth Rs 56 L seized from cab in Gurgaon, key accused managed production from home

Weather ePaper Today’s Paper Journalism of Courage Home ePaper Politics Explained Opinion India Business Premium Cities UPSC Entertainment Sports World Lifestyle Tech Subscribe Sign In TrendingUPSC OfferIPL 2026US NewsPuzzles & GamesLegal NewsFresh TakeHealthResearch🎙️ Podcast Advertisement function checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript() { if (window.jQuery) { // jQuery is loaded, include your script jQuery(document).ready(function($) { // Your existing script for checking window width if (window.innerWidth) var page_w = window.innerWidth; else if (document.all) var page_w = document.body.clientWidth; if (page_w > 1024) { $(".add-left, .add-right").show(); } else { $(".add-left, .add-right").hide(); } }); } else { // jQuery is not loaded, check again after 0.2 seconds setTimeout(checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript, 200); } } // Initial call to the function checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript(); NewsCitiesDelhiStock of fake weight loss drug worth Rs 56 L seized from cab in Gurgaon, key accused managed production from home Stock of fake weight loss drug worth Rs 56 L seized from cab in Gurgaon, key accused managed production from home On Sunday, police in Gurgaon said spurious Mounjaro injections — used for diabetes management and weight loss — valued at over Rs 56 lakh were recovered from a car. Written by: Abhimanyu Hazarika4 min readNew DelhiApr 20, 2026 06:31 AM IST The case marks one of the first alleged counterfeit rackets reported in India involving GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, a new class of medications that entered the Indian market last March. Make us preferred source on Google Whatsapp twitter Facebook Reddit PRINT Almost a year after the blockbuster weight loss drug Mounjaro, manufactured by pharma giant Eli Lilly, was launched in India, a major counterfeit syndicate allegedly dealing in fake versions of the drug has been busted in Gurgaon. On Sunday, police in Gurgaon said spurious Mounjaro injections — used for diabetes management and weight loss — valued at over Rs 56 lakh were recovered from a car. The case marks one of the first alleged counterfeit rackets reported in India involving GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, a new class of medications that entered the Indian market last March. Around 7:25 pm on Saturday, a team of the Drugs Control Office in Gurgaon intercepted a Swift Dzire, operating as a cab, in DLF Phase-IV near Millennium City Centre Station after receiving a tip-off about the alleged sale of spurious medicines, said officers. The man inside the vehicle identified himself as Mujammil Khan and said he was a medical representative. During questioning, Khan alleged that the entire illicit stock recovered from the cab belonged to one Avi Sharma (32), according to a spot memo prepared by Drugs Control Officer Amandeep Chauhan. As both Sharma and Khan were gradually arrested, it was revealed during the probe that Sharma allegedly produced the entire spurious stock at his home in Gurgaon. The memo noted, “…Sharma was asked to provide the details of where he sold the products, to which he did not cooperate at the spot.” “As of now Sharma seems to be only one who ran this entire operation,” said Chauhan, adding, “As per the initial questioning, he started the illegal operation on April 2. We are questioning him further to know the supply chain and to whom and how he was selling. From his residential premises, we recovered another Rs 14 lakh worth of such spurious injections.” Sharma, a BBA graduate from a university in Gurgaon, worked at his father’s firm till 2016, said officers, adding that he claimed to have then founded an Ayurvedic company, Hemped Souls International LLP, after that. Khan, when he was stopped by the team, told the police that he was a medical representative at Hemped. Mounjaro’s demand, health officials note, has surged sharply in the recent months due to off-label use for weight loss, creating a lucrative parallel illegal market. As per the memo, after the cab with Khan was intercepted on Saturday, Sharma was called to the location and he arrived around 12:10 am on Sunday. When asked to produce a valid licence of production, Sharma “informed that he is having no licence in this name and he is solely responsible for his Act,” the official record noted. The document further stated that Sharma allegedly disclosed “that he himself manufactured the product in question from his premises” located at Pivotal Paradise at Sector 62 of Gurgaon. Khan and Sharma were arrested on the spot for violating the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, as per the document. The estimated cost of the sampled injection strengths (ranging from 2.5 mg to 15 mg) was calculated to be ₹56,15,847 based on MRP, according to the memo. Form 17 attached with the memo itemised the seizure of a total of 242 Mounjaro KwikPen injections across six different dosage strengths. Following the seizure, an official order by the Drugs Control Officer recommended a halt on the commercial distribution of the flagged batches. The order stated that “in the opinion of undersigned if agreed by the State Drugs Controller, Haryana, the present matter be forwarded to competent authority so that the sale of above batches of the product in question be immediately stopped till the verification is not conducted…” The spot memo detailed that physical verification of the recovered stock against digital labels provided by the official importer revealed multiple discrepancies, and had typographical errors. Abhimanyu Hazarika is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Gurgaon. He covers southern Haryana. Education - Post-Graduate Diploma in Print Media, Asian College of Journalism (Class of 2020) - B.A. (Hons) Liberal Arts with a major in Political Science, Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (Class of 2019) Professional Experience Before joining The Indian Express, he worked with Bar & Bench (legal journalism) and Frontline magazine, where he developed experience in court reporting, legal analysis, and long-form investigative features. Reporting Interests His work centres on civic accountability, environmental policy, urban infrastructure and culture, crime and law enforcement, and their intersections with politics and governance in and around Gurgaon. Recent Coverage (2025) - Crime: Reported on the recovery of 350 kg of explosives and an AK-47 from a rented house in Faridabad, linked to the 2025 Red Fort car explosion case (November 11, 2025). - Environmental policy: Covered protests outside a Haryana minister’s residence against a Supreme Court order that environmentalists argue could allow mining and real estate development on large parts of the Aravalli hills (December 21, 2025). - Pollution control measures: Co-authored coverage of the Rekha Gupta government’s enforcement of vehicle restrictions at Delhi-NCR borders (December 21, 2025). - Road safety and infrastructure: Examined response lapses in the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway hit-and-run case and ongoing investigations into high-speed road crimes in Gurugram. - Animal welfare policy: Reported on concerns regarding the low budget allocated for stray dog sterilization by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (November 30, 2025). - Urban culture: Featured the social media-driven popularity of a new Magnolia Bakery outlet in Gurugram (December 15, 2025). Contact X (Twitter): @AB_Hazardous ... Read More Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram