Mohit Malhotra موحت ملحوترا

Gujarat has been identified as a key destination and distribution node in a massive interstate counterfeit cancer drug network. Investigators tracking a major pharmaceutical racket have revealed that fake life-saving cancer medicines and critical-care injections were systematically funneled into the state through a network of more than 15 medical representatives. The interstate syndicate, which was heavily uncovered during a series of raids by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and drug control officials in Bengaluru, established a supply chain stretching directly into Gujarat and Maharashtra. The Operation: The syndicate sourced cheap, baseline pharmaceutical formulations from manufacturing hubs in Telangana and Himachal Pradesh. The Deception: These cheap drugs were moved to transit facilities where they were repackaged into fresh vials, mislabeled, and forged with fake batch numbers to mimic expensive, high-demand imported cancer drugs—including products associated with global pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer. The Distribution: Operating under the cover of a licensed pharmaceutical business (Krupa Health Care), the network sold these hazardous counterfeits at discounts of up to 50%. This deep discount made them highly attractive to unsuspecting or financially desperate supply chains. The Reach: While over 90 hospitals and clinics were compromised in Bengaluru alone, investigators confirmed the network successfully used medical representatives to push these fake cancer treatments across state lines into the Gujarat market. Broader Context of India's CrackdownThis Gujarat connection is part of a larger, multi-city crisis involving counterfeit cancer treatments across India. Separate crackdowns, such as the Delhi Police Crime Branch's arrest of 17 syndicate members, have revealed that criminals are actively refilling authentic, empty vials of expensive immunotherapy drugs (like Keytruda) with saline water or cheap antifungal medications. In response to the interstate spread across regions like Gujarat, India's national drug advisory board has mandated strict track-and-trace mechanisms. Drugmakers are now required to implement mandatory QR codes and barcodes featuring nine distinct data points on every single vial and strip of cancer medication marketed in the country. Dashil Sanghvi (operating out of Paldi, Ahmedabad) was arrested by the Crime Branch for acting as the primary Gujarat kingpin who procured the fake bulk stocks from out-of-state syndicates and arranged the logistics to feed these sub-distributors. Some of the Key firms in Gujarat who were caught; Kishan Medical Store (Nadiad, Kheda): Officially raided after being caught stocking and selling massive counterfeit batches of critical medications. Navkar Medical Agency (Bhuj, Kutch): Identified as a key local sub-distributor that accepted heavily discounted, unverified batches from the interstate ring and pushed them into the local patient supply chain. [1] Mahadev Medical Agency (Bhuj, Kutch): Flagged alongside Navkar for procuring and circulating counterfeit medications without verifying batch credentials from the primary manufacturers. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of police and drug inspectors, formed to probe the fake medicine racket busted near Bidadi recently, raided a private facility, Krupa Healthcare near Minerva Circle, on Saturday and recovered a large stock of suspected counterfeit medicines. This raid was part of simultaneous raids at 10 locations in six states including Karnataka, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. The owner of Krupa Healthcare, Veeresh Kumar Jain, said to be a former business partner of the absconding alleged kingpin of the racket Prashanth, has been arrested in connection with the case. The network came to light during a raid on a farmhouse in Bidadi on August 18. During the operation, authorities seized suspected counterfeit medicines worth approximately ₹4.91 crore.