Imphal, Feb 25 : A smooth-talking medical representative ran a fake drug racket single-handedly in Manipur, coaxing doctors to prescribe medicines from a fictitious company, which he “set up” by merely changing the labels on drug bottles available in the market.
It was smooth business for a year till two NGOs got the wind of it and caught on him two weeks ago.
The All Manipur Anti-Drug Association and the Manipur Chemists and Druggist Association, which keep an eye on the wholesale drug market, caught S. Surjit Singh, who hails from Jiribam of Imphal East, in his rented house at Uripok in Imphal.
They also seized medicines from his house, the labels of which were changed, and from some drug stores in Imphal.
Volunteers of the two NGOs destroyed the seized drugs, valued at about Rs 2 lakh, at the office complex of the All Manipur Anti-Drug Association here today.
They did not lodge any complaint at any police station but reported the matter to the state health department.
Surjit Singh procured genuine drugs of well-known companies like Glaxo, Ranbaxy and Mankind and sold them at exorbitant prices by changing their labels.
For instance, he changed the label of Becadexamine, a vitamin capsule, to Glace AD. The original price of one bottle of the medicine with 30 capsules is only Rs 23.73.
He sold this at Rs 570 per bottle, by adding some more compositions in the label.
Operating under the name Geltec Private Ltd, the conman distributed the medicines through doctors at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences and government hospitals. His experience as a medical representative helped. “Surjit Singh has been operating for the past one year and had duped the public by presenting gifts to more than 20 doctors, who prescribed the medicines,” R.K. Ratan, secretary general of the Manipur Chemists and Druggist Association, told the media today.
The two NGOs joined hands in 2006 to check the sale of spurious drugs in the state.
K. Meghachandra, secretary of All Manipur Anti-Drug Association, cautioned doctors against prescribing spurious drugs in collusion with medical representatives.
The two organisations set Surjit Singh free after making him sign an agreement that he would not repeat such fraud in future. Sources said the state health directorate initiated punitive steps against three medicine stores in Imphal for selling medicines from Surjit Singh’s fake company.
When asked why no report was given to the police authorities, the leaders of the NGOs said they reported the matter to the health authorities and it was their duty to take further action.