Blood Trade: How adulterated plasma racket from Ahmedabad operated

The investigation into the alleged blood plasma adulteration racket busted by the Ahmedabad Rural Police has widened to Mumbai, with investigators tracing stolen plasma consignments to two blood banks allegedly operated by the same owner.

Officials said interrogation of the accused, along with scrutiny of call detail records (CDRs) and bank transactions, indicates that the racket had been functioning for more than six months. 

The four accused arrested in the alleged blood plasma adulteration racket have been identified as Dineshbhai Chaudhary, Mohan Gaikwad, Rafiqbhai Salambhai, and Jitendrabhai Baldevbhai Solanki.

The Ahmedabad Rural Police's Special Operations Group (SOG) is now investigating the financial trail and distribution network to identify all beneficiaries of the stolen plasma and determine whether additional persons were involved.

How it operated

According to senior police officials, preliminary investigation suggests that the alleged mastermind, Dineshbhai Umabhai Chaudhary, exploited his previous experience in the blood plasma collection and logistics sector to devise the operation.

Investigators said Chaudhary was aware that during routine transportation of plasma from blood banks to pharmaceutical companies, approximately 20 to 30 plasma pouches are normally rejected during mandatory quality-control checks. Police believe he used this industry practice to conceal the theft.

“Knowing that a certain number of plasma units are routinely rejected during quality testing, the accused allegedly began replacing genuine plasma pouches with adulterated ones, believing the substitution would go unnoticed,” an official associated with the investigation said.

According to investigators, during each transportation cycle, the accused allegedly removed around 40 to 50 genuine plasma pouches from consignments and replaced them with adulterated plasma prepared in advance.

The original plasma units were then stored in deep freezers before being sold through an unauthorised network.

Alleged tampering during transit

According to investigators, the Ahmedabad Rural SOG received specific intelligence that blood plasma consignments destined for a pharmaceutical company in the Changodar area were being tampered with during transit.

Police alleged that Chaudhary, who had previously worked as a blood plasma collection executive based in Mumbai, conspired with co-accused Jitendrabhai Baldevbhai Solanki, the driver of a plasma transport vehicle, and Rafiqbhai Salambhai, the co-driver.

Investigators said that whenever plasma was collected from various districts of Maharashtra, the transport crew allegedly alerted Chaudhary before reaching the pharmaceutical company. Instead of delivering the consignment directly, the vehicle was allegedly diverted to Chaudhary's premises.

There, genuine plasma units were allegedly removed and replaced with adulterated plasma units prepared in advance. The original plasma was then allegedly preserved in deep freezers and later sold illegally.

Police subsequently arrested Mohan Dajiba Gaikwad, a resident of Washim district in Maharashtra, who is alleged to have played a key role in the procurement and distribution of the stolen plasma.

Mumbai blood banks under scrutiny

Interrogation of the accused has further revealed that the stolen genuine plasma was allegedly supplied on multiple occasions to two blood banks located in Mumbai.

Police said both blood banks are operated by the same owner, and investigators are now examining the business transactions between the accused and the establishments. Officials are also verifying whether the consignments were further distributed and whether any regulatory violations were committed.

Apart from supplying the stolen plasma to the Mumbai-based blood banks, investigators suspect that the accused also attempted to sell genuine plasma directly to some local pharmaceutical companies through unauthorised channels.

Officials said the CDRs, financial records and banking transactions of all the accused are being analysed to establish the volume of transactions, identify recipients of payments and uncover any larger interstate network.

No evidence adulterated plasma reached patients

Police have clarified that there is currently no evidence to suggest that the adulterated plasma was administered to patients.

According to investigators, the inquiry so far indicates that the adulterated plasma units failed mandatory quality checks conducted by pharmaceutical companies and were consequently rejected before they could enter the manufacturing process.

Officials cautioned that the investigation remains at an early stage. Further forensic examination and scrutiny of supply records will determine whether any compromised plasma entered the healthcare system and whether additional arrests are warranted.

Seizure worth ₹12.06 lakh

During the operation, police seized 1,140 blood plasma units valued at around ₹11 lakh, a deep freezer, three chemical bottles, a sealing machine, 34 empty plasma bags and a Mahindra Bolero pick-up vehicle allegedly used in the operation.

The total value of the seized material has been estimated at ₹12.06 lakh.

Officials said investigators are now attempting to establish the complete scale of the alleged racket, identify all entities that may have purchased the stolen plasma, verify the role of the Mumbai blood banks and determine whether additional arrests are warranted.