Surat: Medical Shop Owner Sells Veterinary Product As Medicine For Children; Arrested

Surat: A medical store owner in Surat allegedly repackaged a tonic intended for animals and sold it as medicine for children at double the price, prompting concerns over public health, police said.

The Surat Special Operations Group and a team from the Food and Drugs Control Administration raided the ‘Shantinath Medical Store’ in the city’s Gopipura locality on Tuesday and arrested its owner, identified as Mohammad Sajid Ibrahim Mulla (51), Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rajdeepsinh Nakum told reporters on Wednesday.

Police have appealed to the public to immediately seek necessary medical treatment if they purchased the medicine and suffered any adverse health effects.

The accused allegedly took large cans of Himalaya Liv.52 Protec Liquid Veterinary Feed Supplement, meant for animals, and transferred the liquid into smaller 60 ml and 100 ml bottles.

He then allegedly put counterfeit labels bearing the name Himalaya Liv.52 Drops, a paediatric product, onto the bottles to pass them off as medicine suitable for children, as per the police.

“He would extract the liquid from large one-litre and five-litre cans of ‘Himalaya Liv.52 Protec Liquid Veterinary Feed Supplement’ and manually fill it into 60 ml and 100 ml bottles. He would then affix counterfeit labels for ‘Himalaya Liv.52 Drops’ onto these bottles,” the DCP said.

The accused used to sell the product at twice its price, he said, adding that police seized materials and other items valued at Rs 31,195 during the operation.

The Athwa police registered an FIR against the accused under sections 123 (causing hurt by means of poison), 125 (rash, negligent act endangering human life), 336 (forgery), and 278 (sale of a drug as a different drug) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The police also advised consumers that after purchasing medicine from any medical store, they should verify its authenticity and quality with their treating doctor and take medication strictly as prescribed. 

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