Chennai: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested the mastermind in 14.6 kg ketamine seizure case, while fleeing to Malaysia with family on Thursday.
According to NCB zonal director A. Bruno, the officers arrested Mohammed Sadiq Batcha, the kingpin if the case, when he was in Chennai airport.
“He was leaving for Malaysia along with his family,” A. Bruno said in a statement.
The resident of Tondiarpet, Sadiq Batcha was involved in a case, in which the NCB officials arrested Balamurugan of resident Hosur and Abdul Karim of Chennai at Koyambedu and seized 14.650 kg of ketamine from them. The NCB also seized 112 grams of ketamine from Balamurugan’s clandestine laboratory at Attibelle in Bengaluru on April 9.
Ketamine, psychotropic substance, is a popular party drug in East Asian countries. Sources said ketamine white crystals, cost just Rs 50,000 per kg in India, but the same quantity could fetch up to Rs 10 lakh in the international market.
Ketamine is a veterinary anaesthetic included in the most restricted schedule drug category, and its illegal possession and trafficking is an offence punishable by a jail term up to 20 years, NCB said.
