Fake medicine, cosmetics worth Tk 10cr destroyed

A mobile court of Barishal district administration yesterday found a makeshift factory running inside a residence, and seized fake medicines, cosmetics and sanitiser worth Tk 10 crore at the city's Sagardi Darga Bari. 

The court, led by Magistrate Zia Ur Rahman, sentenced Masum Billah, who ran the operation, and his associate Nurul Alom Gaji to one year's imprisonment and fined them Tk 5 lakh each.

They also confiscated raw materials and heavy machinery used in manufacturing.

Zia told The Daily Star that the detainees said they were producing fake medicine for two years with help from the landlord.

They were making fake products of renowned companies like ACI, Chemist, Jayson and Global, and supplied them to Mitford wholesale medicine market in the capital, he said.

"We contacted Sadek Ahamed, the landlord, but he denied involvement, saying he did not know anything about the fake medicine operation, and refused to come to the location," the magistrate informed.

Authorities, however, claimed such a large operation cannot be run without the landlord's knowledge.

When the drive was ongoing, owners and representatives from different pharmaceutical companies came to the spot.

Kajol Ghosh, manager of Chemist Laboratories in Barishal, said they were astonished after learning about the huge quantity of fake medicines that was produced there.

Biplob, a local shopkeeper, said they had no idea such an operation was being run inside a residence.

The court was conducted with help from Directorate General of Drug Administration's superintendent office in Barishal.

Auditi Swarna, superintendent of drugs in Barishal, said, "We had detained two men from Barishal launch terminal with fake medicines yesterday morning. After they confessed about selling the counterfeit products, they pointed us to this place."

"We are investigating to trace the whole fake medicine syndicate. The makeshift factory has been sealed, and the fake products were later destroyed."