The Ozempic trail: From Patiala House Court to Dubai, the scam escalates
The alleged Rs 157 crore international counterfeit Ozempic scam, which sent shockwaves through the global pharmaceutical community last year, continues to escalate.
What began as a high-stakes supply agreement between an Indian firm and US-based Assure Global LLC has spiralled into a criminal investigation involving forged court documents, transnational conspiracy, and the distribution of “spurious” drugs seized by US authorities.
At the centre of the storm is Vicky Ramancha, CEO of an Indian pharma entity and R&R Global Procurement Corp. He stands accused of orchestrating a sophisticated fraud, allegedly leveraging fake Government credentials and forged notarised papers from the Patiala House Courts to build a facade of legitimacy.
Assure Global alleges they were duped of approximately Rs 157 crore (18.8 million dollars) through the supply of counterfeit or misbranded doses of Ozempic — an anti-diabetic medication increasingly sought after for weight loss.
The US company originally approached the Delhi Police in August 2024. When the police did not register an FIR after several months, the company approached the Patiala House Court in New Delhi. They filed an application under the Criminal Procedure Code (formerly Section 156(3) CrPC, now under Section 175 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita) to compel the police to act.
On May 29, 2025, the court found that the allegations were serious enough to warrant a criminal investigation. The Magistrate directed the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police to register an FIR and investigate the crime under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 406 and 120 B (criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Consequently, the FIR was registered on June 3, 2025.
According to the FIR, Ramancha had allegedly boasted about his political connections and Government affiliations in India to win the confidence of Assure Global. In July 2023, R & R Global Procurement Corporation signed a deal with Assure Global for the supply of 1.25 lakh doses of Ozempic to the US directly from China. Pharma major Novo Nordisk, the original manufacturer of Ozempic, makes the injectable in Denmark. Ramancha had used notarised documents from Patiala House Court to “lend legitimacy to fraudulent agreements”.
In August 2025, Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler rejected Ramancha’s anticipatory bail, stating that “swift legal action against pharmaceutical crimes is essential for maintaining India’s position as the pharmacy of the world.”
The judge added that India’s pharmaceutical industry represents a strategic national asset requiring protection from criminal exploitation and “the supply of counterfeit pharmaceuticals represents a direct threat to public health and safety.”
The order further noted that the magnitude of the alleged fraud and the serious health risks associated with exporting fake pharmaceuticals to the US made it unsuitable to grant anticipatory bail as it was a case of “a sophisticated transnational fraud operation.”
As of early 2026, the Delhi High Court is closely monitoring the investigation, and a Lookout Circular (LOC) remains in effect. While Justice Neena Bansal Krishna of the High Court recently granted Ramancha interim protection from arrest — contingent on his cooperation with the probe — the legal battle remains fierce.
Ramancha’s defence maintains that the matter is a “purely commercial dispute” that should be settled via arbitration in London, rather than through Indian criminal courts.
A status report about the ongoing investigation was also filed by the Delhi Police before the High Court in September 2025 during the hearing of the bail application of Ramancha, and it was alleged that he was not cooperating with the investigation, and the name of one Swapnadip Roy has also surfaced. “His (Roy’s) name in the crime is being ascertained,” the status report had stated.
Sources said Ramancha, during the investigation, disclosed the name of Roy, an Indian passport holder based in Dubai who was actually running the show and was behind the entire scam, and the EOW has sent multiple notices to Roy, including his address in Tripura, but he has been evading till now.
While opposing the bail application, the Delhi Police, in the status report, according to the sources, had also stated that the allegations in the complaint are grave in nature as the present applicant has grabbed the cheated money and “Conspiracy hatched by the alleged person and his associates is to be unearthed.”
Further, the High Court was told that Ramancha could not produce the account statement of his own Dubai-based company, i.e., M/s RNR Premier Medical Equipments Trading LLC, in which money had been received by him despite giving him several opportunities.
Police submitted in the status report that the accused could not produce the payment proof to M/s Ouchi Pharmaceuticals Trade (Chinese Company) for the procurement of Ozempic, which was to be delivered to the complainant company.
It is understood that Roy has also been added as an accused in the FIR based on Ramancha’s statement.
He has been issued formal notices as per the BNSS to join the investigation multiple times, but he has evaded them so far.
A close watch is being maintained by all stakeholders on the progress of the investigation, as Ramancha’s anticipatory bail is listed for hearing on February 6. During this hearing, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) is expected to apprise the court of the steps taken in connection with Roy, who is now being viewed as the key architect behind the scam.
Sources said a team of lawyers representing Assure Global — one of the respondents in the High Court — is developing a strategy to uncover the real truth behind the scam. They emphasised that this was not a localised fraud but a high-stakes conspiracy, expressing hope that custodial interrogation would unearth the full scope of the network and lead to further names.
The legal proceedings are being closely monitored globally, as the Ozempic scam has become a “wake-up call” for both Indian regulators and the international medical community. For India, the stakes are strategic: as a global leader in drug manufacturing, any link to large-scale counterfeiting threatens the nation’s hard-earned reputation.
This case has triggered a shift toward stricter enforcement. Courts are now treating pharma fraud not just as a financial crime, but as a threat to national security and public health. A tight-lipped source noted that the Ozempic scam is a classic example of a transnational criminal threat, with a conspiracy spanning India, Dubai, China, and the USA.
Ultimately, the case is a “litmus test” for Indian law enforcement. The further hearings will likely determine if the system can effectively dismantle sophisticated networks and secure “masterminds” hiding in overseas hubs like Dubai.
