FDA busts illegal medical abortion kit racket in Nagpur and Solapur, 8 booked

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has busted an alleged racket involving the illegal purchase and sale of medical abortion kits in Nagpur and Solapur districts, officials said on Friday, reported the PTI.

The regulator said cases have been registered against eight people, including directors of the online marketplace IndiaMART. Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) kits and other medicines were seized during separate operations.

The FDA said its Nagpur and Solapur teams carried out action on August 12 after receiving information about the unauthorised storage and sale of medicines such as Clear Kit and Prega End, which are used for medical abortion.

Officials said the operations were conducted with the local police after receiving information about the alleged illegal supply of the medicines, the news agency reported.

Racket uncovered at Nagpur clinic

According to the FDA, in Nagpur, FDA officials and police conducted a surprise inspection at Shree Sai Clinic in Vinoba Bhave Nagar, run by Dr Sachin Marghade.

According to the FDA, officials found a large quantity of medicines allegedly stored for unauthorised sale. Labels and batch numbers on Prega End and Misopril kits had allegedly been removed or concealed.

Police later laid a trap and arrested two people suspected of being part of the supply chain. The two were allegedly carrying 50 MTP kits between them.

Police are now searching for the person who allegedly supplied the kits, the FDA said.

Medicines worth over Rs 45,000 seized

Officials seized unauthorised medicines, including Alprazolam and Sildenafil, worth Rs 45,649 from the Nagpur clinic, as per the PTI.

A case was registered against Dr Sachin Marghade and three others at Yashodhara Nagar police station under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act).

The FDA is also taking separate action under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act over the alleged unauthorised storage and sale of medicines.

Solapur probe leads to IndiaMART

In Solapur, FDA officials and local police raided the home of a person allegedly selling abortion medicines to customers through the IndiaMART portal.

The FDA said officials seized MTP kits worth Rs 9,532. The medicines had allegedly been sourced from outside Maharashtra.

During the investigation, the alleged involvement of the online portal in the sale of the medicines came to light, the regulator said.

Police registered a case against IndiaMART’s directors and three others at the MIDC police station in Solapur. Further investigation is under way.

FDA warns against unsupervised use

The FDA said the combined value of the MTP kits, Alprazolam and Sildenafil seized in the two operations was Rs 54,181.

FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe warned people against buying MTP kits or other abortion medicines without a doctor’s prescription or using them without supervision from a trained and authorised medical professional, the news agency reported.

He said unsupervised use of such medicines could result in serious health complications.

The FDA said it would continue to monitor the illegal purchase and sale of such medicines and take stringent action against those involved.

(with PTI inputs)