Chennai, October 23, 2025 – In a pre-dawn swoop that has potentially saved countless lives, Chennai Police's Central Crime Branch (CCB) dismantled a brazen counterfeit cough syrup racket operating from a nondescript warehouse in the industrial suburb of Ambattur, arresting eight suspects and seizing over 5,000 vials of lethally contaminated medication worth an estimated ₹25 lakh. The operation, codenamed "Syrup Shield," averted what investigators described as an impending public health disaster, with lab tests revealing the fake elixirs laced with industrial solvents and banned diuretics – a toxic cocktail eerily reminiscent of deadly adulterated batches that have claimed dozens of young lives across India in recent years.
The bust unfolded around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, when a 50-member CCB team, acting on a tip-off from the Tamil Nadu Drugs Control Department, raided a 3,000 sq.ft. godown masquerading as a legitimate pharma distributor. Inside, officers uncovered a makeshift production line churning out counterfeit versions of popular brands like Corex and Phensedyl, complete with forged holograms and batch numbers pilfered from genuine suppliers. "These weren't small-time fraudsters; this was an organized syndicate sourcing cheap ethanol from Kerala distilleries and spiking it with diethylene glycol (DEG) to mimic viscosity – the same killer chemical behind child fatalities in Madhya Pradesh just weeks ago," revealed CCB Deputy Commissioner R. Karthikeyan during a press briefing at the Anna Salai headquarters.
The eight nabbed include the ring's mastermind, 45-year-old businessman S. Venkatesh, a former pharma sales rep turned black-market kingpin, along with six migrant laborers from Bihar and a rogue pharmacist from Coimbatore. Police recovered 5,200 vials in various stages of packaging – 3,000 ready for dispatch to pharmacies in Chennai, Madurai, and even Andhra Pradesh – alongside 200 liters of adulterated base syrup, labeling machines, and digital ledgers detailing ₹1.2 crore in illicit sales over six months. Initial tests by the Tamil Nadu State Forensic Laboratory confirmed DEG levels at 28%, far exceeding safe limits and potent enough to induce acute kidney failure, especially in children and the elderly. "Had these hit the market, we could've seen 50-100 hospitalizations or worse – it's a miracle we got here in time," Karthikeyan added, crediting anonymous whistleblowers from the supply chain.
The racket's tentacles extended to online dark web sales and bribes to low-level inspectors, with seized phones revealing chats negotiating ₹50,000 payoffs to avert routine checks. Venkatesh, remanded to 15 days' judicial custody by the Poonamallee Magistrate Court later Thursday, allegedly sourced raw materials from unregulated units in Gujarat, exploiting lax oversight in the ₹1.5 lakh crore Indian pharma sector. Two more arrests are imminent, police said, as raids continue at accomplice hideouts in Perambalur.
This strike echoes the chilling October 9, 2025, arrest in Chennai of G. Ranganathan, owner of Kancheepuram-based Sresan Pharmaceuticals, whose contaminated Coldrif cough syrup has been linked to the deaths of at least 22 children in Madhya Pradesh, with lab reports confirming toxic DEG adulteration. In that case, Madhya Pradesh police, in tandem with Chennai authorities, sealed Sresan's unit and interrogated two staffers, prompting a nationwide alert from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma. Subramanian hailed the latest bust as a "proactive win," announcing stricter random sampling of 10,000 syrup batches statewide and a ₹10 crore war chest for whistleblower rewards. "Post the Madhya Pradesh tragedy, we've ramped up surveillance – this seizure proves vigilance pays," he told reporters, vowing license revocations for 20 suspect firms by month's end.
Public health experts, however, decry a systemic scourge. "India's cough syrup deaths – over 100 since 2022, including 70 kids – stem from profit-driven shortcuts in a poorly regulated market," warned Dr. V. Kalaiselvi of the Indian Medical Association's Tamil Nadu chapter. The CDSCO's October 10 directive banning Sresan products nationwide underscores the urgency, with two Tamil Nadu drug inspectors suspended for oversight lapses in the Coldrif probe. Advocacy groups like the Patient Safety Alliance are pushing for mandatory QR-code tracking and AI-monitored imports to stem the flow.
As Chennai's pharmacies undergo emergency audits and the seized vials head for incineration, the Ambattur raid stands as a grim reminder: In the race between greed and guardianship, one timely intervention can tip the scales toward salvation. For the eight in irons, the cough may have cleared – but justice's grip tightens.
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