Delhi busts syndicate manufacturing counterfeit rabies vaccines, four held

A suspected batch of the rabies vaccine 'Abhayrab' seized from Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar has tested misbranded and substandard in lab checks. Four people have been arrested, and the DCGI has alerted every state and union territory.

A dangerous racket involving fake rabies vaccines has been busted in Delhi, exposing how counterfeit shots meant to save lives from a fatal infection ended up in the supply chain. In a joint operation, the Delhi Police Crime Branch and the Drugs Control Department recovered a suspected batch of the rabies vaccine 'Abhayrab' from the Mukherjee Nagar area. Laboratory tests found the batch to be "misbranded" and "not of standard quality," and four people have been arrested in the case so far.

Raid traced to an unlicensed Mukherjee Nagar premises
The case originated at a premises in Mukherjee Nagar where drug-related activities were being carried out without a valid license. Acting on solid intelligence, a joint team of the Crime Branch and the Drugs Control Department raided the location. During the search, the team recovered a suspected stock of Abhayrab rabies vaccine and seized batch number KE25012 after flagging it as suspicious. The case is being treated as extremely sensitive because this particular vaccine is administered to patients after a dog bite or an attack by another infected animal, to stop the infection from spreading. That makes the authenticity and quality of every dose a direct matter of patient safety.

Kasauli lab report deepens the concern
To verify whether the recovered vaccine was genuine, samples were sent for testing to the Central Drugs Laboratory in Kasauli. Once the lab report came back, the case turned far more serious. The report confirmed that the seized batch was "misbranded" and also failed to meet the required quality standards, meaning the vaccine being supplied to patients was neither correctly labelled nor fit for use.

DCGI issues alert to every state and union territory
Following the lab report, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) issued an alert to all states and union territories about the suspected batch. All drug control officers have been instructed to keep strict watch over the sale, supply and availability of batch number KE25012 in their respective areas. According to the DCGI, the objective of this action is to ensure that not a single dose from this batch reaches any patient. Authorities are also tracing whether the suspected batch was supplied to any state besides Delhi.

Four arrested, hunt on for the full syndicate
The Delhi Police have arrested four people in connection with the case so far. Investigating agencies are now working to establish exactly how large this fake vaccine network is and who else may be involved in running it. The probe into the racket continues.

What this means for you
If you or someone you know has recently needed a rabies vaccine after a dog bite or an animal attack, this case has a direct bearing on your safety.

• Across India: The DCGI has alerted every state and union territory about batch number KE25012, so hospitals and clinics nationwide are expected to check for this batch. Patients should ask to see the batch number and label before being administered a rabies vaccine.
• In Delhi: Since the racket was busted in Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar, patients and clinics in the city need to be especially careful right now. Anyone who received a rabies shot recently in Delhi can ask their doctor to confirm the batch number used.
• Safety risk: A misbranded, substandard vaccine may not work as intended, raising the risk that an infection is not stopped in time. Getting vaccines only from registered pharmacies and hospitals reduces this risk.
• Tighter monitoring: Drug control officers across states will now track the sale and supply of this batch, which could mean closer scrutiny of the vaccine supply chain in the coming days.

Questions & Answers

1. Which vaccine was found fake or substandard?
Batch number KE25012 of the rabies vaccine 'Abhayrab' was found misbranded and not of standard quality in lab tests.

2. Where was the vaccine recovered from?
It was recovered from an unlicensed premises in Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar area.

3. How many people have been arrested so far?
Four people have been arrested in the case so far.

4. Where were the samples tested?
Samples were sent to the Central Drugs Laboratory in Kasauli for testing.

5. What action has the DCGI taken?
The DCGI has issued an alert to all states and union territories about batch number KE25012.

6. Was the vaccine supplied outside Delhi too?
Investigating agencies are still tracing whether the batch was supplied to any state besides Delhi.

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