Lucknow, Jan 15 (IANS): The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) busted a racket involved in smuggling prohibited medicines to US from India.

The STF arrested three men from the Durgapuri locality of Nilmatha area, under the Cantt police circle in Lucknow.

The STF also seized tablets and Rs 6.57 lakh as well as wrappers and packaging material of herbal and ayurvedic medicines.

The accused used to get orders from international customers through WhatsApp, Skype as well as the Dark Web, while the payments were made through online virtual currencies like Bitcoin, payment gateways and through the Hawala network.

They said around Rs 20 lakh has been found in their bank accounts and the process of freezing them is almost over.

STF Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Vishal Vikram Singh, said that those arrested were identified as Yasir Jameel Khan Faizi, Hamza Ahmad and Inamul Haq.

He said the trio was arrested when they were present near Yasir Jameel's house near Nilmatha. Prohibited medicines were recovered from the house of Yasir Jameel.

The ASP said Jameel revealed during interrogation that Hamza and Inam had offered to send these two medicines to different addresses in the US after getting orders from international clients. He said Jameel had sent these medicines to US-based clients as many as 150 times in the past two years.

"Yasir said that the duo offered him Rs 600-700 per strip of tablets, available in the Indian market for Rs 30-40. He used to purchase these tablets from different drug dealers and courier to international addresses after changing wrappers with herbal and ayurvedic medicines mentioned on it. He used to make these wrappers himself," the ASP said.