CBI arrests Karnataka pharma firm MD in bribery case; seizes cash, gold

3 min readBengaluruJul 17, 2026 04:11 PM IST

Pharma Care, a Bhopal-based authorised service agent of KAPL, alleged that the managing director of KAPL, demanded 60 per cent of the commission earned by the firm from medicine sales between February and June 2026. (Photo: AI-generated)

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday arrested Anurag Danayak, the managing director of state-owned Karnataka Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals Limited (KAPL), for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe from an authorised service agent of the company.

According to CBI, Danayak was caught red-handed in a trap laid in Noida while allegedly accepting Rs 5 lakh as part of a Rs 15-lakh bribe demand. Following the arrest, the CBI conducted searches at Danayak’s residence and office premises in Bengaluru, Noida and Jabalpur and seized around 79 lakh in cash, apart from gold jewellery worth around Rs 86 lakh.

The action followed a complaint filed on July 10 by Pharma Care, a Bhopal-based authorised service agent of KAPL,that alleged that Danayak demanded 60 per cent of the commission earned by the firm from medicine sales between February and June 2026.

The agency said that he also sought an upfront payment to renew the firm’s Service Agent Agreement, clear its pending renewal application for 2026-27, and allot additional government healthcare institutions in Madhya Pradesh.

Harsh Kaushik, who manages Pharma Care, stated in the complaint that Danayak repeatedly contacted him through WhatsApp calls and threatened that the firm’s agreement would not be renewed and no new institutions would be allotted unless the bribe was paid.

“Searches were conducted at the residential and office premises of the accused in Bengaluru, Noida and Jabalpur. Around Rs 75 lakh in cash and foreign currency worth approximately Rs 4 lakh were seized from his Noida residence and office chamber in Bengaluru. Besides this, 697 grams of gold jewellery and coins worth around Rs 86 lakh, along with property documents relating to a residential flat of the accused, were also recovered,” the CBI said in its statement.

KAPL is a public sector pharmaceutical company jointly owned by the Government of India and the Government of Karnataka. The company manufactures and supplies pharmaceutical products to government health programmes and public healthcare institutions across the country.

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Anurag Danayak was appointed as KAPL managing director in early 2025 following his selection by the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB).

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