On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raided a factory that was making hand sanitisers in Vakola area of Mumbai. The sanitizers in question didn’t have proper anti-bacterial properties which make the solution disinfectant. As a result, the FDA has recovered a huge cache of fake sanitizers and the authorities are taking action against them.
The authority upon investigation found out that the factory had started operations eight days back and had neither licence nor batch number. These sanitizers were reportedly sold for ₹105 to ₹180 per bottle.
“Due to coronavirus scare, people are scared and purchasing sanitizers in panic. Some anti-social elements are engaged in making fake products,” said Joint Commissioner of FDA Maharashtra Dr Gahane.
The World Health Organisation had termed the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic and had recommended to protect oneself against getting infected with the coronavirus by using sanitizers among various other instructions.
In another raid at a factory in Kandivli, the FDA team found that several herbal products were flooded in the market. FDA seized a stock of fake sanitizers worth over ₹2 lakh from the Kandivli distributor.
The sanitizers were manufactured by a Bhiwandi company which had surrendered its license two years back.
Gahane said that while the factory has violated the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, an FIR will not be registered as they complied with the police. However, they will be penalised accordingly. He said that the sanitisers were sold under the names of Biotol Cosmetics and Wiz. The fake sanitizers are a matter of concern as an individual might catch the novel virus despite taking all the correct measures.
So far, 16 people in the state have been tested positive for coronavirus. The development comes after two teachers from Khed, Maharashtra who had recently been to Nepal were tested positive for COVID-19. The two teachers were a part of a 50-member group that had recently visited Nepal. So far, none of the other teachers has been tested positive.
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