Financial heist from counterfeit drug: A case study from Delhi, India

Abstract

Drug abuse has become a severe social-economic problem, which is vulnerably affecting different age groups. All the regulatory bodies involved in strategic reduction in drug abuse need to strengthen to ensure effective implementation for combating illicit drug abuse. Also, many a times people are duped by spurious drugs, which have a stupefying effect on the victim and cheat them of their valuable belongings. The victim reports such cases after the incident to the concerned investigating agencies who subsequently register and strategize to nab the culprit. The seized materials from the culprit/accused persons are subsequently sent for forensic examination. The Forensic Science Laboratory receives many such cases of drug poisoning/overdose, spurious/illicit drugs. A case of a 40-year-old victim/farmer, who was robbed of his belongings at a bus depot, was registered in Forensic Science Laboratory, Delhi. A brief history of the case was that he was waiting to board a bus for a further journey; whereby he met the accused persons who befriended him and together they had some food. Later as there was further delay in the bus, they went to a restaurant at the bus depot, had tea and biscuits and slept. Later, the victim was discovered unconscious by investigating agencies who took him to the hospital. The Medico-Legal Certificate report indicated him to be drowsy and unfit for statement at the time of admission and therefore preserved his blood sample for chemical analysis. The victim later said that the accused had stolen his belongings, especially money. Investigating agencies corroborated small pieces of evidence finally to nab the accused and seized a medicine strip claiming it to be the sedative drug ‘Nitrazepam’ which was administered to the victim. The blood sample of the victim and the strip of tablets seized from the accused were submitted for forensic examination. The samples received in the present case were white coloured tablets and blood sample. On visual examination, the tablets appeared similar to that of manufactured pharmaceutical drug ‘Nitrazepam’. Preliminary examination gave surprising results. Therefore, detailed chemical and instrumental analysis using the techniques gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GC-MS), high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) were carried out to ascertain the contents in the tablets, that have stupefying effect. Preliminary screening by thin layer chromatography (TLC) did not indicate the presence of ‘Nitrazepam’ [the separated components did not tally with the certified reference material (CRM) of ‘Nitrazepam’]. GC-MS examination of the sample indicated the probable presence of pheniramine (78%) and chlorpheniramine (83%) using the National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST) database. Detailed analysis using the techniques HPTLC, FTIR and UPLC was carried out to ascertain the exact components in the tablets and blood sample. They were found to contain ‘Chlorpheniramine’ rather than ‘Nitrazepam’ as imprinted by the manufacturer. It is important to mention here that even Chlorpheniramine has sedative effect, apart from acting as an antihistamine medicine. An interesting case of robbing was deduced; with a simultaneous disclosure of counterfeit drugs, which may be blooming in the market. With the development of modern analytical techniques, even trace samples can be examined and have special significance while dealing with crime and criminals.