On 14th December, Delhi Police’s Crime Branch busted a major counterfeit medicine racket involving prescription only Schedule H ointments. Two men, identified as 42-year-old Gaurav Bhagat and 27-year-old Vishal Gupta, have been arrested. The police have seized over 7,500 tubes of fake Betnovate-C, Clop-G and Skinshine from an illegal manufacturing unit in Ghaziabad.
Team of @CrimeBranchDP busted a major spurious drug racket, arresting two accused and seizing counterfeit Schedule-H ointments worth ₹2.3 crore, along with raw chemicals, machinery, packing material and around 12,000+ tubes of spurious Betnovate-C, Clop-G and Skin-Shine… pic.twitter.com/1tD4EdUfl0
— Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) December 14, 2025
The arrests were made following raids in north Delhi’s Sadar Bazar and Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad. During the raids, police uncovered a well organised network engaged in manufacturing and distributing spurious medicines across Delhi and other parts of the country.
Raid in Sadar Bazar exposes fake Schedule H medicines
According to the Crime Branch, the operation began after the cyber cell received information about the sale of counterfeit medicines in Teliwara, a major wholesale pharmaceutical and cosmetics market in Sadar Bazar. Police raided the location and seized a large quantity of fake Schedule H ointments from a godown.
Speaking to the media, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Aditya Gautam said the seized medicines included Betnovate-C and Clop-G. Both medicines are widely prescribed for sports injuries and skin related conditions. He warned that the circulation of such counterfeit medicines poses a serious risk to public health.
Illegal factory unearthed in Ghaziabad
Further investigation led police to an illegal manufacturing unit operating from Mirpur Hindu village near Loni in Ghaziabad. The factory was raided in the presence of drug inspectors and authorised representatives of pharmaceutical companies.
दिल्ली क्राइम ब्रांच ने गाजियाबाद में नकली दवा फैक्ट्री पकड़ी है। 2 आरोपी गौरव भगत और श्रीराम उर्फ विशाल गुप्ता गिरफ्तार हैं !!
स्किन रोग में काम आने वाली बेटनोबेट जैसी क्रीम भी नकली बनाई जा रही थी। 2.30 करोड़ का माल जब्त हुआ। उत्तर भारत के कई राज्यों में सप्लाई थी। pic.twitter.com/3M3SfPOpOr— Sachin Gupta (@SachinGuptaUP) December 15, 2025
During the raid, police seized around 1,200 tubes of fake Betnovate-C, 2,700 tubes of Clop-G, 3,700 tubes of Skinshine, and nearly 22,000 empty Clop G tubes ready for filling. In addition, police also recovered over 350 kg of raw material, chemicals, packaging material and manufacturing machinery. The total value of the seized material is estimated at around Rs
The arrested men have been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. An FIR has been registered at the Crime Branch police station.
Drug inspectors from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh conducted spot inspections and collected samples from the seized stock. Representatives of the concerned pharmaceutical companies confirmed that the ointments were counterfeit and were neither manufactured nor supplied by their firms. Police said the accused did not possess any valid licence to manufacture, store, or sell such medicines.
Investigation into wider supply chain underway
According to media reports, police suspect that the illegal operation might have been running since 2019. Once manufactured, the spurious medicines were packaged and supplied to multiple markets through a network of sellers and delivery handlers.
The Crime Branch has stated that further raids are underway to dismantle the entire supply chain of the racket, including distributors and retailers involved in the illegal trade.