Gurugram: Colour dissimilarity to typographical errors… conspicuous differences in the packaging of counterfeit Mounjaro injections led the Drugs Control Office to crack down on the illicit sale and production of the blockbuster diabetes and weight loss drug running out of a flat in Gurugram, officials said.
The alleged mastermind Avi Sharma procured raw materials from China through popular e-commerce website Alibaba, said drugs control officer Amandeep Chauhan.
Officials carried out a raid on April 18 and seized fake Mounjaro (tirzepatide) injections worth ₹70 lakh from a vehicle in DLF Phase 4.
Giving details of the investigation, Chauhan said the team compared the spurious sample against the original one and found that the boxes of the fake injection had different shades of blue and red.
He also said that there were glaring typographical errors on the fake versions, compared to the original one.
“While both boxes have an illustration of an injection pen, it is clear and bright on the original one, but blurred, dark, and shorter on the fake version,” Chauhan said, while adding that they are still waiting for the lab results of the seized samples.
During a follow-up probe, the team raided a flat in Gurugram’s Sector 62 where injections were allegedly prepared by mixing water with raw drugs.
Police first arrested Mujjamil, a deliveryman from DLF Phase 4. Later, Avi Sharma was also taken into custody.
An official said 32-year-old Sharma started the production of counterfeit injections to earn more money as he wasn’t generating much revenue from his previous venture.
Before running his fake operation, Sharma worked at his father’s firm for some time till 2016, after completing his graduation.
Soon after, he founded his own ‘Ayurvedic’ company, named Hemped Souls International LLP, selling natural oils.
“Avi Sharma wanted to scale up his income to at least Rs 2 crore a month. In greed of money, he started the illegal production of fake Mounjaro injections,” the official said.
American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Mounjaro, has reacted to the seizure.
“We have been made aware of a recent development in relation to the seizure of suspicious and counterfeit products that allegedly carry our product brand name Mounjaro (tirzepatide)…Lilly takes patient safety extremely seriously and welcomes regulatory authority’s action against illicit medicines,” said an Eli Lilly and Company spokesperson in India.
Ely Lily launched Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) in India in 2025, primarily aimed at treating type 2 diabetes and obesity.
The injection became popular in the months after launch, making it the highest-selling drug by value in India.
