The Intelligence Wing of the Kerala Drugs Control Department has registered a case against a drug racket selling disulfiram in Idukki and Thiruvananthapuram districts in Kerala. The drug was being sold to the family members of alcohol addicts after giving wide publicity in newspapers with the claim that the drug would abstain people from alcoholism.

Along with this, the department also registered a case against a Doctor who was running a Clinic at Kattappana in Idukki as his address was found in the label of the medicines sold by the racket. The Intelligence wing of the drugs control administration has conducted simultaneous raids in these districts and seized materials worth Rs 5 lakh, sources from the department told Pharmabiz.

Disulfiram is an aversive drug used to support the treatment of chronic alcoholism and it was given to a patient by the physician on close supervision. The supply of the drug is strictly restrained by the authority and it can be dispensed through a doctor’s clinic.

According to the drug inspector of Idukki, the chief of the racket, P Rajesh, hailing from Idukki, was giving advertisements in the media in each district informing the public that one doctor would consult patients and dispense the medicine on weekly visit to every district. But, on enquiry, it was found that Rajesh was selling the drug to the family members of liquor addicts after mixing it with wheat flour, without a doctor’s presence. The officers found that the person was doing the fake business by staying in some lodges in the cities for one or two days. The labels of the seized packets contained the addresses of two doctors hailing from Idukki and from New Delhi. Accordingly, the drug control officials have registered a case against Dr. P Ravindran of Saro Hospital at Kattappana and one Dr Sethi from the national capital. Enquiries are on against Dr Sethi’s whereabouts, said A Saju, drug inspector of Idukki.

He said Rajesh was sourcing huge quantities of disulfiram powder from New Delhi and made small packets of 5 grams and priced at rupees forty. He was reportedly working with Dr Sethi at his hospital in New Delhi previously. Currently in Kerala he has been doing the business on his own for long cheating the public that it was an Ayurvedic drug.

The drug inspector said Dr P Ravindran is running a de-addiction centre at Kattappana and the patients who approach him are directed to Rajesh’s house for buying the drug. Besides, in certain packets of the seized items contained the doctor’s address. Rajesh was using the addresses of Dr Ravindran and Dr Sethi, the drug inspector told Pharmabiz.

The investigating agency has seized one packing machine worth Rs 2 lakh, ten lakh labels and large quantities of disulfiram powder from the house of Rajesh. They have also seized packets of powder he was selling from his lodge in Thiruvananthapuram. The agency has produced the materials before the judicial first Class Magistrate Court at Kattappana. However, neither the doctor nor the agent was arrested so far.

Shaji M Varghese and Jayan Philip, the intelligence wing officers of drugs control administration in Thiruvananthapuram and Eranakulam, and A Saju, drug inspector of Idukki were among the investigation team.