Ahmedabad Crime Branch, operating jointly with the Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA), has dismantled an interstate syndicate manufacturing and distributing counterfeit blood pressure medication. Three key operatives linked to distribution channels across Ahmedabad and Lucknow have been arrested following a targeted crackdown.
The investigation was initiated after a written complaint was lodged on August 19 by J.B. Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Limited, based out of GIDC Ankleshwar. The pharmaceutical manufacturer alerted authorities that fraudulent copies of its hypertension medicine, Nicardia Retard 10 (Nifedipine Sustained Release Tablets IP 10mg, Batch No. ACG25007, Mfg: Jun 2025, Exp: May 2028), were circulating illegally in the market.
Interstate Supply Chain Traced Across Multiple Cities
Joint enforcement teams established a multi-city tracking process to map out the distribution pipeline of the spurious drugs. Raids at medical agencies revealed that counterfeit inventory flooded local pharmacies through Parshva Medical Agency in Paldi, Ahmedabad, which had directly sourced the illicit stock from Sena Medical located in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Seizures rapidly expanded across key hubs in Gujarat, including the recovery of 30 strips from Kishan Medical Store in Nadiad, along with additional confiscations from Navkar Medical Agency and Mahadev Medical Agency in Bhuj. Investigators further discovered that parallel supplies flowing into Kutch district originated from AVR Medicos in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
The three arrested individuals have been identified as Darsheel Girishbhai Sanghavi, an Ahmedabad wholesaler managing local distribution; Devendra Ramnath Ghaniram Yadav of Lucknow, who procured the fake stock at steep discounts; and Umang Abhay Parsottamdas Rastogi of Lucknow, who acted as a commission agent. Both UP-based suspects have prior criminal histories involving counterfeit drug operations. Police teams continue to conduct nationwide raids to uncover the primary manufacturing facility. Public members or medical vendors who have purchased suspicious stock are urged to contact the investigating officers immediately.
