Two of the six accused, arrested here in connection with seizure of about 1.2 tonnes of banned ketamine drug in Jalgaon, were today produced before a local court here which granted their transit remand to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
Vikas Puri and G S Roa were produced before a holiday court here which gave DRI their transit remand till Tuesday so that the duo could be produced in a court in Jalgaon as the drugs were seized there, said DRI officials.
Puri, an M Tech degree holder and the alleged kingpin of the drug racket, and his accomplice Roa were held from suburban Powai here yesterday, while the other four were arrested in Jalgaon.
During the raid, 1.2 tonnes of ketamine with market value of Rs 118 crore was seized.
According to DRI officials, Puri did his M Tech in pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals from the prestigious University Department of Chemical Technology in Mumbai. He owns V C Pharma and Speciality Chemicals in Vikhroli in suburban Mumbai and has factories in Ratnagiri district.
Officials said that Puri secured orders for ketamine and asked the owner of Rukhma Industries in Jalgaon to manufacture it. He was dealing in the contraband drug for quite some time.
Ketamine is classified as a psychotropic substance under the NDPS Act, 1985. A licence from the FDA is required to manufacture it, and import/export permit is required from Central Bureau of Narcotics, Gwalior, for trading.
