Ahmedabad, Jul 18 (PTI) A racket which sold spurious tocilizumab injections which are used in the treatment of COVID-19 was busted followed raids in Surat and Ahmedabad in Gujarat, officials said on Saturday.

Three men have been arrested in the case so far, said a state Food and Drug Control Association (FDCA) release.

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Over the last few days, FDCA officials seized filling, sealing and coding machines, spurious drugs and packaging materials worth Rs 8 lakh following a raid at the house of main accused Sohel Ismail Tai in Surat, said the release.

Devang Shah, an Ahmedabad-based doctor, filed a complaint when he realized that tocilizumab injections purchased by a relative of a COVID-19 patient were spurious.

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Officials found that the patient's relative had purchased three boxes of injections for Rs 1.35 lakh from Maa Pharmacy in Ahmedabad without any bill.

When the pharmacist was questioned, he said he got the boxes from one Harsh Thakor who in turn told FDCA sleuths that he had obtained the drugs from Happy Chemist in Ahmedabad.

FDCA officials seized two boxes of Nandrolone Decanoate injection manufactured by Genic Pharma from Nilesh Laliwala of Happy Chemist. These injections were being passed off as tocilizumab injections by pasting fake labels, it said.

The trail finally led to Sohel Tai in Surat. Officials raided his house and found packaging material and also samples of five other apparently spurious drugs.

Tocilizumab is administered to critical COVID-19 patients.

Thakor, Laliwala and Sohel Tai have been arrested and further probe is on, officials said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)