18 February,2026 05:44 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondent
Following the FDA’s complaint, a case was registered at Manpada police station in Dombivli. Representational Pic
Maharashtra's Thane Police have arrested two men for allegedly selling counterfeit blood pressure medicines worth Rs 9 lakh by mimicking the name and packaging of a popular brand, officials said on Wednesday, reported PTI.
According to a release from Kalyan police, the accused marketed fake "Telma AM" tablets, a combination of Telmisartan 40 mg and Amlodipine 5 mg, using the license of "Shriram Pharma" and passed them off as products of the original manufacturer.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted a raid on January 20 and seized 2,795 strips of fake "Telma AM" tablets valued at Rs 8,94,400, the release said, reported PTI.
Following the FDA's complaint, a case was registered at Manpada police station in Dombivli under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and Rules, 1945.
The prime accused, identified as Pankaj Radheshyam Upadhyay (33), a distributor and medical representative residing in Dombivli East, was arrested on January 21.
"The accused (Upadhyay) was aware that the said medicine was fake and that its consumption could pose a serious threat to human life, yet he continued to distribute it," the release stated, reported PTI.
During the investigation, police learnt that the stock of duplicate medicines had allegedly been supplied by Vivek Ajaykumar Rai (35), a resident of Kandivali East in Mumbai. He was arrested on February 16, police said.
Further investigation is underway under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone III) Atul Zende and Assistant Commissioner of Police (Dombivli Division) Suhas Hemade, the release added.
Earlier in December 2025, the FDA cancelled the licences of 176 retailers and 39 wholesalers across Maharashtra for selling substandard medicines.
In a written reply to a question raised by BJP MLA Amit Satam and others, Zirwal said that as part of a special FDA campaign, samples of cough syrups and other medicines were sent for testing and analysis, news agency PTI reported.
"Licences of 176 retailers and 39 wholesalers were cancelled. Further, 136 retailers and 93 wholesalers were inspected. Show-cause notices were issued, and licences were cancelled for selling substandard cough syrups," he said.
Zirwal added that fake cough syrups were detected at drug stores and pharmaceutical companies during the FDA drive in October 2024. Doctors, clinical establishments, and pharmacists were instructed not to prescribe or sell medicines containing propranolol, he said, according to PTI.
He further stated that 36 samples were tested across the Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Aurangabad, and Nagpur divisions, of which 34 were found to be substandard. The medicines included treatments for hypertension, diabetes, tuberculosis, heart disease, and blood purification, PTI reported. Six samples of a paediatric cough syrup brand were also found to be of inferior quality.
(With PTI inputs)
