India, April 3 -- A former registrar of the Delhi Pharmacy Council (DPC) was among 40 people arrested as the Delhi government's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) unearthed a fraudulent pharmacy registration racket that officials said had granted illegal approvals to nearly 5,000 unqualified pharmacists over the past five years.

A DPC clerk, six touts, three employees of pharmacy colleges, the owner of a printing shop, and 35 individuals who were operating as pharmacists with forged credentials were also arrested in the crackdown, officials said.

The multi-layered racket, which allegedly involved dozens of people, exposed a deep-seated nexus facilitating fake registration of pharmacists through forged documents, according to Madhur Verma, the...