With the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) massive crackdown on doctors selling medicines illegally over the past few months, four bogus medicos have recently been booked at Ratnagiri under the relevant sections of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, Drugs & Magic Remedies Act 1954 and Maharashtra Medical Practitioner Act, 1961 for exhibiting objectionable advertisement regarding treatment of impotence along with selling and stocking of drugs without a license.

An FIR has been registered against the four accused in Khed police station of Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra. Accused named in the FIR are Vasant Manaji Kamble, Pandurang Ajinath Thore, Shamvel Kshetre and the receptionist Tushar Arun Shinde of Hotel Regency at Ratnagiri.

The accused were arrested in two different raids conducted by Ratnagiri FDA officials. Vasant Manaji Kamble and Pandurang Ajinath Thore were earlier arrested at Khed on October 20, 2013 and an FIR was registered against them at Khed Police station.

Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Ratnagiri has ordered police custody of all the accused up to October 23, 2013.

Both raids conducted by Assistant Commissioner, FDA, Ratnagiri K T More, and RM Edlawar, Drug Inspector, FDA, Ratnagiri seized drugs worth Rs.1.25 lakh during the raid at Khed and drugs worth Rs.6.5 lakhs were seized from the premises of Hotel Regency located at Ratnagiri. Drugs comprised stock of allopathic medicine (purported to be 100 mg sildenafil citrate), ayurvedic drugs, documents along with one Tata Indica car (MH 16 AB 3401).

Action has been taken in violation of Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 under section 18(c), 18 (a), 104 (a), 27 (b) and 27 (d) which are cognizable offences and also under section 33 etc (a) (i)(ii) (iii), (b) (c), Drugs and Magic Remedies Act 1954 under section 3 (b), 4(a)(b)(c)(d) and section 5 r/w, part 9,37,45 p/u 7(a) and Maharashtra Medical Practitioners Act 1961, section 33(2).