New Delhi, March 7 : With the arrest of 10 persons, the Delhi Police's Crime Branch on Thursday claimed to have busted a gang involved in manufacturing and supplying spurious life-saving drugs.

Police have also recovered counterfeit medicines, including that of international brands worth crores of rupees.

The arrested accused include Vikas Chauhan, Surender Malik, Parvez Khan, Upkar Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Abdul Basit, Daniyal Ali, Mukesh Kumar, Anil Kumar and Chander Pal Singh.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Sanjay Bhatia said that the operation led to the seizure of a large quantity of counterfeit medicines, manufacturing equipment, packaging materials and raw ingredients.

The gang's activities were discovered following a surge in the distribution of fake medications across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

"After receiving specific intelligence inputs, a team from the Crime Branch, led by Inspector Pawan Kumar, launched a comprehensive investigation, ultimately leading to the apprehension of the suspects," said the Additional CP.

During the operation, the police intercepted a van under Tilak Bridge, Tilak Marg, where they discovered a significant quantity of counterfeit medications.

"Further interrogations and subsequent raids led to the recovery of additional fake drugs and the identification of various individuals involved in the illicit trade network," said Bhatia.

The investigation revealed a sophisticated network of manufacturing and distribution, spanning multiple locations across Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

"The accused, including Surender Malik and Vikas Chauhan, operated manufacturing units capable of producing spurious medicines on a large scale.

"The apprehension of these individuals and the seizure of counterfeit medications represent a significant victory in our ongoing efforts to combat the illegal drug trade," said Bhatia.

The accused, including masterminds Surender Malik and Vikas Chauhan, are facing multiple charges under sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Copyright Act.

"Further investigations are underway to dismantle the entire network and bring all perpetrators to justice," Bhatia added.

/IANS