‘Sold 1,000 bottles in a year’: Gujarat chemist held for repackaging animal supplement as human liver drops

Surat, October 14 (IANS): A medical store owner in Surat has been arrested for allegedly repackaging a veterinary liver supplement into smaller bottles and selling it as a medicine for human use after affixing counterfeit labels of Himalaya Liv.52 Drops, the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Gujarat Police said on Wednesday.The accused, Mohammed Sajid Ibrahim Mulla, 51, who operated Shree Shantinath Medical Store in the Gopipura area of Athwa, was apprehended during a joint raid by the SOG and the Food and Drugs Department on October 13.According to police, the accused allegedly refilled Himalaya Liv.52 Protec Liquid Animal Feed Supplement into smaller bottles and labelled them as Himalaya Liv.52 Drops, a product marketed for human use.He allegedly sold the repackaged liquid to customers as medicine for human treatment.Deputy Commissioner of Police (SOG) Rajdeepsinh Nakum said the team had received information about the alleged activity at the medical store and conducted a joint raid following verification.“The accused was refilling the Liv.52 Liquid Animal Feed product, available in one-litre and five-litre containers, into smaller bottles and selling it as Liv.52 Drops used for the human liver. He had been selling the medicine for the last one year and sold around 1,000 bottles,” Nakum told IANS.During the raid, the team seized a five-litre container of the veterinary supplement, a 60 ml bottle of Liv.52 Drops, empty bottles, caps, stoppers, counterfeit stickers and a mobile phone.The seizure included one five-litre container of Himalaya Liv.52 Protec Liquid Animal Feed Supplement valued at Rs 1,050, one 60 ml bottle of Liv.52 Drops valued at Rs 140 and a mobile phone valued at Rs 30,000.The team also recovered seven empty bottles without labels, seven additional empty bottles with capacities of 60 ml and 100 ml, seven caps, seven stoppers and six stickers bearing the Liv.52 Drops 60 ml label. Officials put the total value of the seized items at Rs 31,195.An offence has been registered against the accused at Athwa police station under Sections 123, 125, 336(2), 336(3), 336(4) and 278 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.Nakum cautioned people against taking medicines without consulting a qualified medical practitioner.“People should not take any medicine, whether Ayurvedic, homoeopathic or allopathic, without a prescription from a medical practitioner,” he said, warning that taking products intended for animals could be harmful to humans.The police have also appealed to anyone who purchased medicines from the store and subsequently experienced adverse health effects to seek medical treatment and contact the police.