Times of India
24 April 2010
Rajkot, India

Another truckload of medicines, nearing their expiry dates, was seized on Friday by Bhavnagar police officials and foods and drugs control administration from the house of Dr Hemal Mehta in Mahuva town of Bhavnagar district. The house is currently occupied by Mehta’s brother.

On Thursday, medicines worth Rs 50 lakh, which had crossed their expiry dates, were seized from Mehta’s clinic, Shreeji Bapa clinic, at Abhinav Complex in Bhavnagar.

According to Deepika Chauhan, assistant commissioner, foods and drugs control administration, Bhavnagar, they recovered 153 types of various drugs from his flat in Abhinav Complex on Thursday.

“The doctor used to purchase drugs and medicines at very low prices from whole sellers and medical representatives. His modus operandi was to purchase drugs which were approaching their expiry dates. He would then remove the original dates from the labels and sell them with new tags. The drugs which we have recovered include viagra and drugs for abortion, pain killers, antibiotics, tablets, and capsules among others. We have also recovered chemicals, which he used for removing expiry dates from the labels,” said Chauhan.

Superintendent of police, Bhavnagar district, Rajendra Asari said, “We have booked him under sections 17, 18 and 27 (b) of Drugs and Cosmetics Act and sections 406, 420, 467, 468 of IPC and have arrested him.” He added, “We doubt that he was doing this alone. His clinic does not require such large quantity of drugs considering that he has just about 20 to 25 patients at his OPD daily. We have sought his remand to know more about the nexus.” Mehta’s brother is absconding since.