A pharmacy on the premises of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) was raided on Wednesday following complaints that it was selling hand sanitisers without any label mentioning the ingredients or the dates of manufacture and expiry.
The shop called Dawai Dost has been operating on the RIMS premises since 2015.
A RIMS security guard said the inspection started at 11am and continued till late in the evening.
“The sale of medicines did not stop during the course of the inspection,” the guard said.
He said the pharmacy had allegedly bought huge containers of hand santiser at a wholesale price and was selling them in 200ml bottles without any label.
“Dawai Dost used to charge Rs 15 for the sanitiser and Rs 5 for the bottle. The business used to give them a profit margin unlike branded sanitisers,” the security guard told The Telegraph.
Drug inspector Pratibha Jha confirmed the development.
“Though the pharmacy is supposed to function as a drug retailer, it was engaged in the business of packaging sanitisers and selling them at a premium,” Jha said.
Dawai Dost has as many as 17 outlets across the city, of which 14 are currently operational.
Shop manager Nirmalya Mukherjee initially refused to comment on the issue but gave in after much persuasion.
“There is some confusion. It is being sorted out,” he said.
During a meeting with chief minister Hemant Soren on April 8, a section of doctors had raised the issue. Hemant had then assured proper action. Wednesday’s raid was a step in that direction.
“More such raids will be conducted in the days to come,” drug inspector Jha said.