Plasma Racket Gujarat Police Arrest Maharashtra Blood Banks

Superintendent of Police (Ahmedabad Rural) Om Prakash Jat said they were questioning the arrested accused Prakash and Ashok – who operated blood banks in Washim and Jalna of Maharashtra.

Six more blood banks in Maharashtra, which were allegedly buying plasma units from the prime accused Dinesh Chaudhary, are under the scanner of the Special Operation Group of Ahmedabad rural police, the SP said.

According to the SP, the two blood banks had bought 4,000 units of plasma from Chaudhary in the past six months. “More details will come out during their police remand which will be sought on Tuesday,” the SP said.

The SOG had seized 1,140 units of “adulterated” blood plasma, valued at nearly Rs 11 lakh in the market, and arrested four persons, including Chaudhary, earlier this week.

Chaudhary, a resident of Banaskantha, earlier worked as a blood plasma collection executive in multiple companies including the Ahmedabad multinational firm which he targeted.

Modus operandi According to police, Chaudhary used to supply plasma to a pharmaceutical company based in Ahmedabad. After procuring from his sources, he would remove some of the content of the plasma pouches and put saline water instead, before supplying to the Ahmedabad firm.

He would collect the original plasma collected during the process to pharmaceutical firms in Maharashtra through blood banks in the neighbouring state, police said.

Police began a probe after 562 of 1,670 units of plasma sourced from five blood banks in Maharashtra by the Ahmedabad-based pharmaceutical company were found to be spurious.

The market price of each unit of blood plasma, measuring around 350 ml, is around Rs 5,000.

An FIR was registered at Changodar police station on the basis of a complaint filed by an official of the pharmaceutical company and the accused were booked under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita sections 316(3) (criminal breach of trust) , 125 (Act of endangering life or personal safety), 276 (adulteration of drugs), 324 (5) (mischief), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy).

Chaudhary is in police remand until Saturday while the other accused are in judicial custody.

Kamal Saiyed is a senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, providing extensive, on-the-ground coverage from Surat and the broader South Gujarat region and the Union territories of Daman, Diu & Dadra Nagar Haveli. With a reporting career at the publication spanning back to 2007, he has established himself as a high-authority voice on the industrial, social, and political pulse of one of India’s fastest-growing urban hubs. Expertise Industrial & Economic Beat: Based in the "Diamond City," Saiyed offers expert reporting on the diamond and textile industries. His work tracks global market shifts (such as De Beers production changes), local trade policies, and the socio-economic challenges facing the millions of workers in Surat’s manufacturing hubs. Civic & Infrastructure Coverage: He consistently reports on urban development and public safety in Surat, including: Traffic & Urban Planning: Monitoring the city's 13-fold increase in traffic violations and the implementation of new municipal drives. Public Safety: Investigative reporting on infrastructure failures, fire safety NOC compliance in schools and commercial buildings, and Metro rail progress. Political Reporting: Tracking the shifting dynamics between the BJP, Congress, and AAP in South Gujarat and the neighboring Union Territories (Daman, Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli). Crime beat: Armed with a good source network Saiyed has been able to bring out the human side of crime stories in his region ... Read More