PUNE: The
CBI's Pune unit has booked a senior technician and an area executive of
Hindustan Antibiotics Ltd (HAL), along with a private person, for illegally selling spurious products in the company's brand name at Saswad in Purandar taluka, nearly 35km from here.
A senior official of HAL-Pimpri had filed a complaint with the
Central Bureau of Investigation last week. Based on the complaint, CBI booked the persons under relevant sections of IPC.
The complainant stated that the company authorities received information that spurious stocks of agricultural products (Humaur) are being sold in the Saswad village market. On December 14, a team of marketing professionals from HAL visited the village and collected a 250ml pack of
Humaur from one of the traders.
"The label pasted on the pack of Hamaur is claimed that it is a HAL product. The manufacturing date of the product was August 2015 and the expiry date July 2020. The manufacturer's address on both the packs was cited as HAL-Pimpri," the complaint stated.
However, HAL has stopped manufacturing Humaur (250 ml) since May 2012 and Humaur since December 2013. "The last batch of Humaur 250 ml was manufactured by HAL in 2012 with an expiry date of April 2017. The the last batch of the product HAL manufactured was in December 2013 and the expiry date was November 2018," it added.
Superintendent of police and in-charge of the CBI's Pune unit MR
Kadole said, "We found that the HAL officials diverted the company's order to private manufacturers and manufactured the product. Later, they started selling it in the market under the company's brand with the help of some private parties. This is illegal."
CBI on Monday carried out house searches at the suspects' houses. "We suspect that there is a possibility of involvement of more HAL employees in this racket of production and sale of spurious products. We have recovered some relevant documents and finding out further links," Kadole said.
