A joint Haryana Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-police action in Gurugram has blown the lid off a suspected fake Mounjaro injection racket, with officials seizing stocks worth nearly ₹56 lakh after stopping a vehicle in DLF Phase-IV on Saturday evening.
The case has raised fresh alarms over the illegal circulation of high-value prescription drugs in the NCR, especially those used for diabetes and weight management, which are increasingly being targeted by unauthorised operators.
The operation followed specific intelligence inputs, prompting a joint team of the FDA and police to set up surveillance near the HUDA City Centre Metro Station. On Saturday evening, a vehicle was stopped, leading to the detention of two men. While the driver said he was a hired cabbie paid ₹1,000 for the trip from Delhi, officials found the co-passenger, a medical representative, transporting multiple variants of the injections.
Amandeep Chauhan, drug control officer with the FDA’s Gurugram unit, said the consignment had been tracked using billing details before the interception. “Based on a tip-off and billing information, the consignment was tracked, and a medical representative of a private firm with no permission to supply such injections was detained. Later, the CEO of the firm was also held in Sector 62 for further questioning,” Hindustan Times mentioned Chauhan as saying.
CEO under lens as illegal production trail emerges
Investigators said the firm’s chief executive could not furnish any licence authorising the storage or sale of the drug. During questioning, he allegedly admitted to being linked to the seized consignment and claimed the injections were being produced from his residence. A search at the premises led to the recovery of machinery and materials suspected to be used in the manufacture of fake medicines.
“The injections seem to be counterfeit originals imported from Italy,” said Suresh Kumar, a drug control officer in Gurugram. Officials also pointed out that the stock was not maintained under the mandated temperature range of 2°C to 8°C.
Verification flags label inconsistencies
Preliminary checks with Eli Lilly and Company (India) Pvt Ltd indicated multiple mismatches in packaging details. Differences in font style, formatting patterns and even toll-free numbers suggested the seized injections were not genuine.
Police said one accused has been sent to judicial custody, while the other is on five days’ police remand. A case has been registered under the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, and efforts are on to trace the supply network and identify end users.
Mounjaro, according to the European Medicines Agency, is used to treat type 2 diabetes. It can also be prescribed for weight management under medical supervision.