Pharmacy staff absconds with Rs 1.5 lakh worth of medicines in Gangtok; case registered under new criminal law
Further inquiry revealed that the accused had also taken advance payments from several customers and nearby shopkeepers in the Children Park area, which he failed to return.
LOCAL
A major case of suspected theft has come to light in Gangtok after a staff member at a local pharmacy allegedly fled with medicines worth around Rs 1.5 lakh and also took advance payments from customers and shopkeepers. The accused, identified as Samir Khati, is now facing serious charges under the newly introduced Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023.
According to the FIR (Case No. 101/2025) lodged at Sadar Police Station on July 23, 2025, by Gaurav Agarwal, proprietor of Health Point Pharmacy at Old Children Park Taxi Stand, the accused Samir Khati, aged approximately 41 years, was employed as the shop in-charge since May 1, 2025. He was solely responsible for managing the medicine stock.
Agarwal, a resident of Namnang Road, stated that Khati had suddenly stopped coming to work from July 11 without any prior notice. When Agarwal conducted an inventory check after Khati’s disappearance, he found that a large quantity of medicines had gone missing. The estimated value of the missing stock is around ₹1,50,000. It is suspected that Khati sold the medicines to other nearby shops for his own benefit.
Further inquiry revealed that the accused had also taken advance payments from several customers and nearby shopkeepers in the Children Park area, which he failed to return. Despite several efforts by the complainant to contact him, Khati could not be reached, raising suspicions that he had fled intentionally after committing the theft.
Based on this, a case was registered against Samir Khati under sections 303(1), 306, and 316 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. These sections relate to criminal breach of trust, cheating, and dishonest misappropriation of property.
The Sadar Police have confirmed that the case is currently under active investigation. Two persons have been detained under Section 35 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, in connection with the case. However, their names and involvement have not been officially disclosed yet.