# The Sarla Bhat case, India's fake drug crackdown, and WhatsApp's username

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/3-things-69930/the-sarla-bhat-case-india-s-fake-drug-crackdown-and-whatsapp-s-username
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/3-things-69930/the-sarla-bhat-case-india-s-fake-drug-crackdown-and-whatsapp-s-username.md
Podcast: [3 Things](https://stenobird.com/podcast/3-things-69930)
Published: 2026-07-03T00:30:02+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-sarla-bhat-case-india-s-fake-drug-crackdown-and-whatsapp-s-username--72795716
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/72795716/3_things_2026_july_3_v3.mp3
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Duration seconds: 1354

## Resource

First, we speak to The Indian Express’ Naveed Iqbal about the 1990 abduction and killing of Kashmiri Pandit nurse Sarla Bhat, and why a chargesheet filed 36 years later naming former JKLF chief Yasin Malik is significant in the larger context of the Kashmiri Pandit exodus. Next, we talk to The Indian Express’ Anonna Dutt about the Centre’s expanded QR code-based track and trace system for medicines, how it aims to curb counterfeit drugs, and the implementation challenges that could determine whether the initiative succeeds. (8:25) And in the end, we look at the Centre’s concerns over WhatsApp’s upcoming username feature, which officials fear could make impersonation scams and digital fraud easier despite the platform’s planned safeguards. (19:55) Hosted by Ichha Sharma Produced and written by Shashank Bhargava and Ichha Sharma Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

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## Transcript

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