New Delhi: The Delhi Police Crime Branch has busted an alleged illegal network involved in the smuggling, adulteration and distribution of counterfeit and unauthorised anti-cancer and other life-saving medicines in the Delhi-NCR region, arresting one accused and seizing medicines carrying the labels of high-value oncology and critical-care products, including ICLUSIG (ponatinib), DARZALEX (daratumumab) and Human Albumin.
According to a Delhi Police press release dated August 25, 2026, the operation was conducted by the Anti-Gangster Squad (AGS) Unit of the Crime Branch following information received from a secret informer on April 21 regarding the alleged supply of fake anti-cancer and life-saving medicines in Delhi-NCR. Police said the medicines were allegedly smuggled into India through illegal channels, while some recovered products were allegedly adulterated or not approved for sale in India.
The investigation reportedly revealed an organised racket allegedly using labels of reputed pharmaceutical products, including ICLUSIG, ADCETRIS and DARZALEX, to market the medicines as genuine products. Delhi Police said the alleged activity posed a serious risk to cancer patients and other critically ill patients who depend on authentic life-saving medicines.
Acting on specific information, the Crime Branch deployed personnel near a Mother Dairy booth at Sukhdev Vihar in South-East Delhi, where the suspected accused was allegedly expected to arrive. Police said the man arrived in a Honda City and was apprehended after stepping out of the vehicle. He was identified as Dr. Manish Sharma, aged about 39, a resident of Faridabad, Haryana.
The seizure included four packets of ICLUSIG (ponatinib) tablets, which Delhi Police said were not approved for sale in India; four 100-ml vials of Human Albumin Solution I.P. 20%, described in the police release as being of Turkish origin and allegedly smuggled into India; and two boxes of DARZALEX 1.80 mg manufactured by Janssen Biotech Inc., which police said appeared to be of Turkish origin and had allegedly been smuggled into the country.
The police release said the recovered ICLUSIG carried an extremely high international value, putting the reported US price at approximately US$17,000 per box, while the authorised-import price cited for the Human Albumin product was about ₹5,800 per box. The police also cited an authorised-import price of approximately ₹2.27 lakh per vial for DARZALEX. These figures illustrate the substantial financial incentive for illicit trading in high-cost oncology and critical-care medicines, although the prices cited in the release should not be treated as a current official market-price benchmark.
Police further alleged that Sharma had previously worked in the healthcare sector and subsequently operated HK Polyclinic and HK Pharmaceuticals in Faridabad. According to the investigation described in the release, the accused allegedly began purchasing and selling smuggled, adulterated and fake medicines through contacts generated on IndiaMART, attracted by the high margins associated with anti-cancer medicines.
The Delhi Police action highlights a particularly serious patient-safety concern because counterfeit or adulterated oncology medicines may expose patients to ineffective or unsafe treatment at a time when timely administration of an authentic medicine can be critical. The police said the alleged racket could cause serious health complications to patients who purchased the products believing them to be genuine.
The case has been registered as FIR No. 94/2026 dated April 21, 2026, at the Crime Branch police station, under Sections 3(5), 61(2), 276, 277, 278, 318(4), 336(3) and 123 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and other applicable laws, according to the police. Investigation is continuing.
The development was also reported by other media outlets on August 25. The News Mill, citing ANI inputs, reported that Delhi Police had dismantled an illegal network involved in the alleged smuggling, adulteration and distribution of counterfeit and unauthorised anti-cancer and life-saving medicines and had seized ICLUSIG, DARZALEX and Human Albumin.
The latest operation should, however, be distinguished from other recent Delhi Crime Branch investigations involving counterfeit or diverted oncology medicines. Reports published around the same period have described a separate, much larger interstate racket involving multiple arrests and other cancer medicines. The August 25 Delhi Police release examined for this report specifically concerns one arrest and the seizure of ICLUSIG, Human Albumin and DARZALEX, and does not establish that those separate cases are connected.
The seizure also raises broader questions for India’s pharmaceutical supply-chain surveillance, particularly concerning the movement of high-value imported medicines through online marketplaces, unauthorised channels and intermediaries. Effective enforcement will require not only police investigation but also close coordination with the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), state drug-control authorities, customs authorities, manufacturers and authorised importers to establish the authenticity, manufacturing source, batch details, regulatory status and distribution trail of the recovered products.
For patients and healthcare professionals, the case is another warning against obtaining high-value cancer and life-saving medicines from unauthorised sellers or online sources without verification of the seller, supply chain and product authenticity.
Disclaimer: This report is based principally on the Delhi Police Crime Branch press release dated August 25, 2026, supplemented by contemporaneous media reporting. Allegations concerning the accused, the medicines and the alleged racket remain subject to investigation and judicial proceedings. The seizure of a product bearing a particular brand name does not, by itself, establish the authenticity, composition, manufacturing source or clinical quality of that product; those matters require appropriate regulatory and forensic verification. The inclusion of company and product names is for factual reporting and does not imply wrongdoing by the legitimate manufacturers or brand owners.
