A Delhi court on Monday refused to grant anticipatory bail to businessman Vicky Ramancha, the prime accused in an alleged US$18.8 million international scam involving counterfeit doses of the anti-diabetic drug Ozempic.
Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Saurabh Laler of the Patiala House Court observed that the scale of the alleged fraud and the serious health risks posed by exporting spurious pharmaceuticals to the United States made it inappropriate to grant anticipatory bail. The Court said,
"India's pharmaceutical industry represents a strategic national asset requiring protection from criminal exploitation. The supply of counterfeit pharmaceuticals represents a direct threat to public health and safety. Swift legal action against pharmaceutical crimes is essential for maintaining India's position as the "Pharmacy of the World" and protecting legitimate manufacturers from regulatory backlash."
A US-based firm named Assure Global LLC has accused Ramancha of supplying spurious drugs to the US.
It has filed a complaint under Section 175(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) before the Patiala House Court, alleging that Ramancha, along with his Dubai-based RNR Premier Medical Equipments Trading LLC and US-based RNR Global Procurement Corp, had entered into agreements for the supply of 125,000 doses of Ozempic.
According to the complaint, Ramancha represented that he had political connections in India and produced agreements and invoices, purportedly from China and Hong Kong’s Ouchi Pharma, notarised at Patiala House.
Relying on these representations, Assure Global paid $18.8 million. However, upon delivery, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized the shipment, declaring the drugs counterfeit and spurious.
The matter was referred to the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW), which, following a court order on May 29, 2025, registered an FIR under Sections 406, 420, and 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
After hearing both sides, the Court ultimately held,
“Accordingly, the anticipatory bail application is hereby DISMISSED on the grounds that the jurisdictional complexity presents mixed questions of fact and law requiring comprehensive investigation that cannot be conclusively determined at this preliminary stage."
Ramancha was represented by Advocates Abhishek Bakshi, Tanvir Nayar, Yagyesh Kumar and Ananya.
Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) KD Pachauri appeared for the State.
Assure Global was represented by Senior Advocate Maninder Singh and Advocates Namit Saxena and Dinhar Takiar.
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