The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Bengaluru zonal office, has conducted search operations in Hyderabad and Chennai under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with an alleged organised racket involved in the clandestine manufacture and trafficking of ketamine, a psychotropic substance regulated under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

The investigation stems from an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) registered on the basis of a prosecution complaint filed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Bengaluru. The predicate offence relates to the seizure of 26.75 kg of ketamine from accused J. Kannan in Bengaluru on April 30, 2019, followed by the recovery of 25.45 kg of ketamine from a clandestine laboratory allegedly operated by Shivaraj Urs alias Mahesh Uthappa on May 1, 2019.

According to the ED, the investigation revealed that the raw material required for manufacturing ketamine was allegedly sourced from the Research and Development Centre of M/s Inchem Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad, through Putta Venkateshwarlu, who was serving as the company’s R&D in-charge.

The agency alleged that Shivaraj Urs had established an illegal laboratory in Bengaluru for the clandestine manufacture of ketamine, while Putta Venkateshwarlu supplied ketamine intermediates, raw materials and technical expertise to facilitate its production.

The ED further stated that the three accused — J. Kannan, Shivaraj Urs alias Mahesh Uthappa, and Putta Venkateshwarlu — are habitual offenders with previous involvement in cases relating to the illegal manufacture, sale and transportation of ketamine.

The investigation also found that the proceeds generated through the illicit manufacture and sale of ketamine were allegedly received through cash and hawala channels and were subsequently used to acquire movable and immovable properties, invest in companies and firms, and meet personal expenses.

During the searches, the ED recovered and seized ₹82.82 lakh in cash, $18,000 in foreign currency, along with several incriminating documents, digital devices, mobile phones, financial records, business documents, property papers and other material linked to the alleged proceeds of crime.