Dehradun, Sept. 6 -- Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) has arrested a couple from Zirakpur, Punjab, in connection with a multi-state racket manufacturing and alleged selling fake medicines of reputed pharmaceutical companies. With this, 12 members of the syndicate have been arrested so far. SSP STF Navneet Singh Bhullar on Friday said Pradeep Kumar and his wife Shruti Dawar were apprehended from their flat in Zirakpur on Thursday. "The two allegedly operated AP Medics, a distribution channel that supplied counterfeit drugs to Uttarakhand and at least five other states", he said. The crackdown comes after the STF received complaints that life-saving medicines of leading pharmaceutical brands were being replicated and pushed into the market, posing grave risks to public health. "This is not just a matter of public safety, but also causes massive financial losses to companies and the exchequer," said Bhullar He said the case was first registered at Selakui police station in Dehradun after the STF, on June 1, arrested Santosh Kumar with a consignment of fake wrappers, labels, outer boxes and QR codes of branded drugs. Considering the seriousness, the probe was transferred to STF. He said those who have been arrested so far include Naveen Basal, Aditya Kala, Devi Dayal Gupta, Pankaj Sharma, Vijay Kumar Pandey, Pradeep Goud, Shishir Singh, Shailendra Singh, and and Tejendra Kaur.htc...