Fake drugs, steroids racket busted in Delhi's Narela: Health Minister
Synopsis
A residential apartment in Delhi's Narela was hiding a full counterfeit pharma operation — sealing machines, unlabelled Tofacitinib tablets, anabolic steroids stashed in electric utility shafts across multiple floors. The accused linked the racket to a Sonepat facility and remains absconding, pointing to a supply chain that stretches well beyond the capital.
Key Takeaways
Delhi Drugs Control Department , FDA Haryana , and Delhi Police jointly busted a fake drug and steroid racket in Narela on 28 July .
Seized items include thousands of unlabelled tablets suspected to be Tofacitinib and liquid vials of Boldenone , Masteron , and Testosterone variants.
Manufacturing equipment — sealing machines, heat guns, precision weighing scales — was recovered from inside a residential apartment .
Additional consignments were found hidden in electric utility shafts on multiple floors during a second-day search.
The occupant claimed the operation was run by an absconding individual allegedly linked to a Sonepat facility ; no valid drug licence was produced.
Action is being taken under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 ; investigation is ongoing to trace the full network.
A clandestine network manufacturing and stocking counterfeit medicines and anabolic steroids inside a residential apartment complex in Delhi's Narela has been dismantled, Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh announced on Tuesday, 28 July. The two-day coordinated operation was carried out by the Delhi Drugs Control Department, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Haryana, and Delhi Police, acting on specific intelligence about the suspected movement of spurious medicines from the premises.
What the Raid Uncovered
Enforcement teams discovered an unlicensed manufacturing and packaging setup concealed within a residential flat on the first day of the operation. Seized equipment included sealing machines, hand-operated seal crimping devices, heat guns, electric stirrers, precision weighing scales, industrial filter paper, glass beakers, rubber closures, and flip-off caps — the full apparatus of a clandestine pharmaceutical production unit.
Investigators also recovered thousands of unlabelled loose tablets suspected to be Tofacitinib, liquid vials of anabolic steroids including Boldenone, Masteron, and Testosterone variants, alongside various chemical solutions used in drug preparation.
Hidden Consignments Found in Utility Shafts
Acting on fresh intelligence gathered during the initial search, officials returned to the apartment complex on the second day and conducted a systematic sweep of the building's common utility infrastructure. The search yielded additional concealed consignments hidden inside electric utility shafts on multiple floors — indicating a deliberate effort to evade detection.
Notably, no valid drug licence, purchase records, or stock registers were produced before the inspection team at any stage of the operation.
What the Occupant Claimed
According to Health Minister Singh, the occupant of the premises told officials that the apartment had been rented solely for stocking and packaging allopathic medicines, and claimed the operation was being run by another individual allegedly linked to a manufacturing facility in Sonepat. Investigators are treating the claim as a lead, with the alleged principal accused currently absconding.
Government's Stand and Next Steps
'The Delhi government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against persons endangering public health through fake medicines. Those compromising public health will face the strictest action,' Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh said. Legal action is being pursued under the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
Further investigation is underway to map the full network, trace the source and distribution chain of the seized products, and apprehend the absconding accused. This operation underscores a pattern of counterfeit pharmaceutical activity surfacing in Delhi's peri-urban zones, where lax residential oversight can mask industrial-scale illegal production.
Point of View
Using utility shafts and rented flats as distributed warehouses that are far harder to surveil than industrial estates. The Sonepat angle, if verified, would indicate a cross-state supply chain that Delhi's drugs control machinery alone cannot dismantle. The real accountability question is how long this operation ran undetected in a populated residential complex — and whether the intelligence that finally triggered the raid came too late to prevent public harm from medicines already in circulation.
NationPress
28 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What was busted in the Narela fake drug racket?
A clandestine manufacturing and stocking operation producing counterfeit medicines and anabolic steroids was dismantled inside a residential apartment in Narela, Delhi, on 28 July. Seized items included unlabelled Tofacitinib tablets, steroid vials, and a full set of pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment.
Which agencies conducted the Narela drug raid?
The operation was carried out jointly by the Delhi Drugs Control Department, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Haryana, and Delhi Police over two days, based on specific intelligence about spurious medicine movement from the premises.
What anabolic steroids were seized in the Narela bust?
Liquid vials of Boldenone, Masteron, and Testosterone variants were among the anabolic steroids recovered. Thousands of unlabelled loose tablets suspected to be Tofacitinib were also seized alongside chemical raw materials and packaging equipment.
Who is the accused in the Narela fake medicine case?
The occupant of the rented apartment claimed the operation was being run by another individual allegedly linked to a manufacturing facility in Sonepat. That individual is currently absconding and is being traced by investigators.
What law applies to the Narela drug racket case?
Legal action is being pursued under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The Delhi Drugs Control Department, in coordination with enforcement agencies, is continuing the investigation to identify the full network and distribution chain.
