Three arrested in Gujarat-Lucknow counterfeit drug syndicate

Ahmedabad Crime Branch and FDCA have busted an interstate counterfeit medicine racket involving fake blood pressure tablets. Three men were arrested from Ahmedabad and Lucknow after investigators traced the supply chain across Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan

Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad city crime branch and the Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA) have busted an interstate syndicate involved in the manufacture and distribution of a counterfeit blood pressure medicine and arrested three persons, officials said on Thursday.

A pharmaceutical company in Ankleshwar, which manufactures NICARDIA RETARD 10 (Nifedipine Sustained Release Tablets IP 10 mg) had written to the FDCA commissioner claiming that counterfeit tablets of this drug were being sold in the market.

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Separate teams of the crime branch and FDCA were formed to investigate the matter and three persons were arrested from Ahmedabad and Lucknow for allegedly procuring and distributing the counterfeit medicine, an official release said.

During the investigation, officials traced the counterfeit medicine to various medical stores in Ahmedabad and other parts of Gujarat. The probe revealed that the counterfeit stock had been allegedly supplied through Parshva Medical Agency in Paldi, Ahmedabad. Parshva Medical Agency, in turn, had allegedly received the medicine from Sena Medical in Lucknow.

The investigation also revealed links to Jaipur in Rajasthan. Thirty strips of counterfeit NICARDIA RETARD 10 tablets were recovered from Kishan Medical Store in Nadiad, Gujarat. Counterfeit tablets were also recovered from Navkar Medical Agency and Mahadev Medical Agency in Bhuj in the state, the release said.

The stock recovered from Kutch had allegedly been supplied through AVR Medicose in Jaipur, the release said. The arrested men were identified as Dashil Sanghvi (39), a resident of Ahmedabad, and Devendra Yadav (39) and Umang Rastogi (34), residents of Lucknow. A case was registered with the Detection of Crime Branch Police Station in Ahmedabad. Further arrests were likely, officials said.