Mumbai: Washim Police have busted an interstate gang involved in the theft of Novo Nordisk’s injectable medicines, including the recently launched anti-obesity drug Wegovy (semaglutide), from a moving truck on the Samruddhi Expressway. Six accused were arrested and stolen consignments worth Rs 2.43 crore were recovered.
The consignment, stolen on August 21 from a truck near Karanja in Washim district, included rDNA-based insulin products and Wegovy pens in 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, and 1 mg doses. Police said 46 boxes of vaccines and injectables were stolen while en route to Nagpur, Raipur, Cuttack, and Kolkata.
The theft had raised alarm among health experts, who warned that Wegovy, if misused without prescription, could cause severe side effects, including nausea, vomiting, stomach paralysis, gallstones, thyroid complications, and in rare cases, blindness.
The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) had issued a nationwide alert on August 21, cautioning that the medicines may have been exposed to temperatures outside the recommended 2°C to 8°C range, making them unsafe for patient use. Doctors, pharmacists, and consumers were advised to buy only from authorized sources with valid invoices. In the August 24 edition, the Free Press Journal had reported about the theft.
In a marathon operation, Washim police teams—along with the Local Crime Branch and Cyber Cell—checked nearly 85,000 vehicles before tracking down the suspects. Four gang members were nabbed in Karanja while allegedly planning another robbery en route to Goa. Based on their leads, the main mastermind, Rajendra Chauhan, and his accomplice, Bharat Ghudavad, were later arrested in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh. All the accused hail from Madhya Pradesh.
During the raids, police seized items worth Rs 38.20 lakh, including a truck, a Scorpio vehicle, and an electronic cutter. The gang confessed to committing similar thefts in Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, and Gujarat. At least 11 cases are registered against them, and Pune Police had earlier booked them under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
The six accused have been remanded to police custody until September 12. Further investigation is underway. Novo Nordisk declined to comment, citing the ongoing probe.
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