The Ahmedabad City Crime Branch has arrested three people from Ahmedabad and Lucknow for allegedly procuring, distributing and selling counterfeit blood-pressure medicine through an interstate network, officials said.
The investigation began after J.B. Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd complained to the Gujarat Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA) on August 19 about the alleged circulation of counterfeit NICARDIA RETARD 10 (Nifedipine Sustained Release Tablets IP 10mg).
The suspected counterfeit medicine bore batch number ACG25007, with a manufacturing date of June 2025 and an expiry date of May 2028. The pharmaceutical company later approached Ahmedabad Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut, following which Crime Branch and FDCA teams launched a joint probe.
Investigators traced the suspected supply chain from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to medical outlets in Gujarat.
According to the Crime Branch, the counterfeit stock reached Ahmedabad through Parshva Medical Agency in Paldi, which allegedly received the medicine from Sena Medical in Lucknow. Investigators also found a link to A.V.R. Medicos in Jaipur in connection with suspected counterfeit stock recovered in Kutch.
Officials seized 30 strips of the specified batch from Kishan Medical Store in Nadiad. The medicine was also recovered from Navkar Medical Agency and Mahadev Medical Agency in Bhuj.
The FDCA had earlier inspected more than 30 medical stores and agencies and seized suspected counterfeit NICARDIA RETARD 10 tablets.
Police allege that the accused used the name, packaging, labels and batch details of the genuine medicine to manufacture counterfeit tablets that could be difficult to distinguish from the original product.
The three arrested suspects have been identified as Darshil Sanghavi, 39, of Paldi, Ahmedabad; Devendra Yadav, 39, of Lucknow; and Umang Rastogi, 34, also of Lucknow. They were arrested around 9:45pm on August 26.
Police allege that Sanghavi procured counterfeit medicines and supplied them to sub-distributors in Ahmedabad and other cities. Devendra allegedly purchased the counterfeit medicines at discounted prices and arranged their transportation to Gujarat, while Umang allegedly sourced the medicines from sellers and earned commissions by facilitating their distribution and sale in the state.
According to police, Devendra and Umang had previously been arrested in June in connection with a duplicate-medicine case registered at Vishramnagar Police Station in Pune. Umang also faces a case registered under the GST Act in September 2022. Sanghavi has no reported criminal history, police said.
An FIR has been registered at DCB Police Station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including Sections 276, 277, 316(4), 336(2), 336(3), 338, 339, 340(2), 341(1), 111, 49 and 61.
Crime Branch teams have been dispatched to Jaipur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad and other districts to identify and trace additional people allegedly involved in manufacturing and distributing the counterfeit medicines.
The investigation is ongoing.
Police have appealed to medical stores, distributors, hospitals and patients who may have received the suspected counterfeit medicine from the arrested suspects or their network to contact the investigating officer.