The Karnataka Health Department on Monday, 21 September 2026, urged citizens across the state to purchase medicines exclusively from licensed pharmacies with valid tax invoices and to immediately alert Drug Enforcement authorities about suspicious packaging, label changes, or non-scanning QR codes — following a sweeping crackdown on a counterfeit medicine racket unearthed at Bidadi in Bengaluru South district. The advisory came after the department suspended the licence of M/s Pfizer C&F Depot at Kempalinganahalli, Nelamangala Taluk, Bengaluru Rural district, along with eight other drug licences, as investigators widened their probe into one of Karnataka's most significant pharmaceutical fraud cases in recent years.

The Raid and What Was Found

The operation began on 18 August 2026, when the Drug Enforcement Wing of the Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) raided a farmhouse at Kurubarakeranahalli in Bidadi, uncovering an alleged unlicensed pharmaceutical repacking and relabelling operation. Spurious drugs, machinery, and printing materials with an estimated value of ₹5.05 crore were seized; the inventory value of the seized materials was assessed at ₹4.91 crore.

According to preliminary findings, low-cost medicines allegedly procured from neighbouring states were being repacked into new vials and relabelled to resemble expensive, life-saving drugs of multinational companies — including products reportedly bearing the Pfizer brand. QR and scanning codes on the suspected counterfeit labels were found to be non-functional upon verification, raising immediate red flags for investigators.

Health Risk and Composition Concerns

Officials have stated that the seized products are suspected to contain either no active medicinal ingredients, incorrect ingredients, or potentially harmful substances — presenting what the department described as a serious risk to public health. Samples have been dispatched to laboratories for testing to determine their chemical composition, sterility, and potency. The department has also blocked the batch numbers and entries of the seized medicines on the Karnataka FDA portal to prevent any further sale or distribution while the investigation continues.

Licences Cancelled, Legal Case Filed

As part of action against retailers and wholesalers allegedly linked to the distribution network, 16 drug licences have been cancelled and 8 licences suspended. A criminal case has been registered under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, with provisions relating to spurious drugs invoked. The seized medicines, machinery, and printing materials are to be produced before the JMFC Court, Bengaluru South, as part of formal legal proceedings.

Multi-State Supply Chain Under Probe

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is continuing its probe to trace the full supply chain, which investigators believe extends across six states nationwide. Authorities are working to identify all individuals and entities allegedly involved in sourcing, manufacturing, and distributing the counterfeit medicines. This comes amid growing national concern over the proliferation of spurious drugs in secondary and tertiary markets, a pattern regulators have flagged repeatedly over the past decade.

Advisory to Consumers

The Karnataka Health Department has advised consumers to remain vigilant while purchasing medicines, urging them to verify QR codes on packaging and report any anomalies — including unusual changes in labels, packaging design, or codes that fail to scan — directly to Drug Enforcement authorities. The department stressed that purchases should always be accompanied by a valid tax invoice from a licensed pharmacy. Authorities expect laboratory results and further arrests to follow as the SIT tightens its sweep across the alleged six-state network.