4 min readGurgaonUpdated: Apr 23, 2026 02:29 AM ISTAn officer holds the fake (left) and original version of blockbuster Mounjaro drug. Express photoAfter finishing his graduation, Avi Sharma (32) — the alleged mastermind behind fake blockbuster weight loss drug Mounjaro racket busted last week in Gurgaon — worked at his father’s firm for some time till 2016. But then as he founded his own “Ayurvedic” company, Hemped Souls International LLP, selling natural oils from the firm’s website did not generate enough revenue. He wanted to scale up his income to at least Rs 2 crore a month, investigators told The Indian Express. Earlier this month, he allegedly started the illegal operation from his Gurgaon flat — production of spurious injections of Mounjaro, which is also used for diabetes management and manufactured by pharma giant Eli Lilly. It was launched in the Indian market last year.Drug Control Officer Amandeep Chauhan, who led the raids last week that led to the recovery of counterfeit injections worth over Rs 56 lakh from a cab and arrests of Sharma and his accomplice Mujammil Khan, said Sharma used 3D printers to produce convincing packaging — cartons, labels and instruction leaflets. Sharma sourced his raw materials, that is peptides, cartilages and (injection) pens from China through Alibaba com, said Chouhan, adding, “He would provide research-grade versions of these from a company named Yenli, as markings on them in the flat revealed. The cartons and labels he sourced or prepared locally. He used YouTube, Google and even ChatGPT to learn how to prepare the Mounjaro-like injections.”The vials and peptides were stored in a refrigerator; the apartment, officials said, appeared to serve no other purpose.The syndicate was busted when a team of the Drugs Control Office in Gurgaon on April 18 intercepted a Swift Dzire, operating as a cab, in DLF Phase-IV near Millennium City Centre Station after receiving a tip-off. The man inside the vehicle identified himself as Mujammil Khan and said he was a medical representative, adding he was ferrying the stock supplied by Sharma. From the cab, the officers recovered the fake injections and Khan’s questioning led the team to Sharma. Both were subsequently arrested and sent to judicial custody. The injections were found to be routed from Bhagirath Palace, Delhi’s pharmacy hub.The case marks one of the first alleged counterfeit rackets reported in India involving GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, a new class of medications that entered the Indian market last March.Officers suggest the racket was busted at the right time. “We will not seek further police custody of Sharma since the injections were not sold at scale anywhere. Six injections were dispatched to Hastinapuram in Hyderabad, but we wrote to the buyer to not use them… The rest fortunately did not get delivered or finalised,” Chauhan said.Khan, who also is in judicial custody, also allegedly played a key role even as Sharma is believed to have managed production single-handedly. “His WhatsApp chats reveal him sharing rate cards and pitching (bulk) orders. If one is involved in selling an expensive injection at a rate much lower than the known market prices, how can they claim to be innocent?,” Chouhan said.Story continues below this adSharma’s call and chat records showed he personally interacted with potential clients, said investigators. “ We recovered fake injections worth around Rs 15 lakh from his flat,” said the officer.Chauhan advised the public to buy such drugs only from authentic offline sources. “With online purchases, you never know …” Abhimanyu Hazarika is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Gurgaon. He covers southern Haryana. Education - Post-Graduate Diploma in Print Media, Asian College of Journalism (Class of 2020) - B.A. (Hons) Liberal Arts with a major in Political Science, Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (Class of 2019) Professional Experience Before joining The Indian Express, he worked with Bar & Bench (legal journalism) and Frontline magazine, where he developed experience in court reporting, legal analysis, and long-form investigative features. Reporting Interests His work centres on civic accountability, environmental policy, urban infrastructure and culture, crime and law enforcement, and their intersections with politics and governance in and around Gurgaon. Recent Coverage (2025) - Crime: Reported on the recovery of 350 kg of explosives and an AK-47 from a rented house in Faridabad, linked to the 2025 Red Fort car explosion case (November 11, 2025). - Environmental policy: Covered protests outside a Haryana minister’s residence against a Supreme Court order that environmentalists argue could allow mining and real estate development on large parts of the Aravalli hills (December 21, 2025). - Pollution control measures: Co-authored coverage of the Rekha Gupta government’s enforcement of vehicle restrictions at Delhi-NCR borders (December 21, 2025). - Road safety and infrastructure: Examined response lapses in the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway hit-and-run case and ongoing investigations into high-speed road crimes in Gurugram. - Animal welfare policy: Reported on concerns regarding the low budget allocated for stray dog sterilization by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (November 30, 2025). - Urban culture: Featured the social media-driven popularity of a new Magnolia Bakery outlet in Gurugram (December 15, 2025). 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