Blood-pressure patients across Gujarat may have unknowingly taken fake medication, after the city crime branch and Gujarat FDCA busted an interstate racket allegedly manufacturing, procuring and distributing counterfeit NICARDIA RETARD 10 mg tablets.
Three people have been arrested, from Ahmedabad and Lucknow.
It began on August 19, when J B Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd of GIDC, Ankleshwar, alerted the FDCA that a counterfeit version of its NICARDIA RETARD 10 mg (Nifedipine Sustained Release Tablets IP 10 mg) was circulating, complete with batch no. ACG25007, a manufacturing date of June 2025, an expiry date of May 2028, and the company's own manufacturing licence number. City Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gahla-ut was informed, and the crime branch took over with joint FDCA teams.
Three arrested
Dashil Sanghvi, 39, of Paldi, Devendra Yadav, 39, of Lucknow, and Umang Abhay Rastogi, 34, also of Lucknow, were arrested on Wednesday, Inspector A B Aal told Mirror. Sanghvi allegedly procured the fake medicines and supplied them to sub-distributors across Ahmedabad and other cities.
"Yadav allegedly bought counterfeit medicines at heavily discounted prices and supplied them to Gujarat. He had reportedly been arrested in June 2026 in another counterfeit-medicine case at Vishrambagh Police Station in Pune and was out on bail.
"Rastogi allegedly procured medicines from suppliers, arranged their supply to Gujarat and earned commissions. Police said he was also arrested in the Pune counterfeit-medicine case in June and had been booked under the GST Act in September 202," Aal added.
Trail from Paldi to Bhuj
Fake tablets turned up at medical stores across Ahmedabad and Gujarat. One chain led to Parshva Medical Agency in Paldi, allegedly stocked by Sena Medical in Lucknow; a separate trail reached Jaipur, with Kutch's supply traced through A V R Medicos there. Thirty strips were seized from Kishan Medical Store in Nadiad, with more recovered from Navkar and Mahadev Medical Agency in Bhuj.
Fake BP pill is dangerous
High blood pressure and certain heart conditions are treated with nifedipine, the active ingredient in NICARDIA RETARD 10. A fake could carry the wrong ingredient, wrong dose, or harmful substances, leaving a patient untreated and at risk. The tablets mimicked the genuine product's name, labels and batch details making fakes hard to spot. Teams have been sent to Jaipur, Lucknow and other Gujarat districts to trace the network, with more arrests expected. "This is a serious offence as the counterfeit medicine can cause serious health concerns," an investigator said.
Probe traces supply chain to Lucknow agent
During interrogation, accused Darshil Sanghvi allegedly admitted that in February 2026 he procured about 2,700 strips of Nicardia Retard 10 from commission agent Umang Rastogi, linked to a pharmaceutical wholesale business. Sanghvi reportedly said the stock was sold to sub-distributors across Gujarat. Further questioning of Rastogi revealed he had approached an agent in Lucknow to purchase cheaper stock from Raj Vikram Singh, before contacting Sanghvi in Ahmedabad and arranging supply.