Bengaluru pharmacy owner remanded to SIT custody in spurious drug racket

A city-based pharmacy owner arrested in connection with an alleged spurious drug racket has been remanded to the custody of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case. Veeresh Kumar Jain was produced before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court on Wednesday, four days after his arrest and the seizure of a cache of suspected fake drugs and incriminating documents.

The SIT had sought his custody to determine his alleged role in the racket and to piece together details of how the operation was run and how its supplies were moved. The court granted the request.

Jain, a native of Rajasthan, runs Krupa Healthcare near Minerva Circle in Bengaluru. He was taken into custody during multi-state raids carried out on Saturday. Investigators suspect he is a close associate of R. Prashanth, described as the prime accused in the case, who remains at large.

According to the investigation, the two men are believed to have run the racket for close to five years. They allegedly supplied counterfeit medicines to major hospitals, offering them at steeply discounted prices.

As part of the wider probe, investigators are also examining their alleged operations in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Mumbai.