Vigilance arrests 9 chemists for obtaining D-Pharmacy degrees
All accused running chemist shops at various locations in Punjab
Chandigarh December 12 : The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Tuesday arrested nine candidates for fraudulently obtaining D-Pharmacy licenses in collusion with privately managed pharmacy colleges in the state. The VB has registered a criminal case under FIR No. 17 dated 8.12.2023 against former registrars and officials of Punjab State Pharmacy Council (PSPC) under sections 420, 465, 466, 468, 120-B of IPC at VB police station Ludhiana, accusing them of irregularities in admissions, registration, and issuing D-Pharmacy licenses to students in private colleges. Parveen Kumar Bharadwaj and Dr. Tejvir Singh, former Registrars of PSPC, along with Superintendent Ashok Kumar, have already been arrested.
The investigation resulted in the inclusion of sections 409 and 467 of the IPC, as well as sections 7, 7-A, 8, and 13(1) along with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. It revealed fake certificates for 143 students between 2005 and 2022, exposing fraudulent practices in admissions and registration at the PSPC.
On Tuesday, nine pharmacists were arrested for bribing owners/principals of private pharmacy colleges to obtain forged 10+2 certificates, D-Pharmacy certificates, and fake registration certificates from PSPC in a fraudulent manner. The accused, who currently operate medical shops, pose a threat to public safety.
The arrested individuals, including Umesh Kumar, Mohammad Aslam, Abdul Sataar, Mohammad Maneer, Gurdeep Singh, Puneet Sharma, Ravinder Kumar, Ashok Kumar, and Maninder Singh, will be presented in court tomorrow.
Investigations revealed that the accused obtained their D-Pharmacy degrees from private colleges, including Punjab Multipurpose Medical Institute Sehna, Lord Krishna College of Pharmacy, Onkar College of Pharmacy Sajuma, Ma Sarswati College of Pharmacy, GHG College of Pharmacy, and Lala Lajpat Rai College of Pharmacy.
The private college owners allegedly admitted students from other states without mandatory migration certificates, accepting significant bribes. Several students gained admission to the D-pharmacy course privately, falsely claiming the required 10+2 qualifications, which should be obtained through regular classes and science practicals.
Ongoing investigations aim to scrutinize the roles of other PSPC officials, employees, clerks, and individuals associated with private colleges.
