The alleged kingpin of Karnataka’s counterfeit drug racket was arrested at Kempegowda International Airport early Monday, nearly six weeks after he fled the farmhouse where investigators first uncovered medicines, machinery and packaging material valued at around ₹ 5 crore, police said.
A team led by assistant commissioner of police Anjan Kumar took him into custody at the airport. His arrest came after investigators obtained information from other accused, including Veeresh Kumar Jain, the owner of Krupa Healthcare near Minerva Circle. Jain was arrested after the SIT and Drugs Control Department raided the pharmacy on September 11 as investigators traced the suspected distribution chain.
The SIT is expected to produce him before a court on Monday and seek his custody for further questioning,” said an officer. R Prashanth, 36, was taken into custody around 5.40am after arriving in Bengaluru from Sharjah, according to officers familiar with the investigation. “He was taken for a medical examination and later brought to the Bengaluru City police commissioner’s office, where the Special Investigation Team (SIT) recorded his preliminary statement. The investigation began with a tip from a labourer who found discarded medicine vials, tubes and packets containing powder in a field near Dodderi.
