BENGALURU: The Karnataka Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Monday arrested 35-year-old Prashanth Ranjan Babu, who is the alleged kingpin of a fake drug network unearthed in Bengaluru, at the Kempegowda International Airport after he landed from Dubai. He was produced before a court which remanded him in SIT custody till October 7.
A look out circular had been issued against Prashanth, a resident of Papareddypalya and a med cal representative. He had been missing for the last one-and-a-half months after the fake drug racket was unearthed at a farmhouse in Dodderi in Tavarekere police limits in Bengaluru South district.
He had earlier been traced to Azerbaijan, where he was reportedly detained by local authorities over passport and visa-related issues.
He was taken into custody around 5.40 am at KIA by a team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Anjan Kumar. He was subjected to mandatory medical examination and then taken to the police commissioner’s office for questioning. He was produced before the court later.
Arrest to help trace network’s ops
Investigators suspect that Prashanth is the prime accused and expect his arrest to help establish the network’s operations and identify others involved. Seven people linked to the racket are arrested by SIT. One of them is Ranjan’s close associate and pharmacy owner Veeresh Kumar Jain.
The fake drug racket was unearthed by the Tavarekere police along with officials from the Food Safety and Drugs Administration on August 18, 2026. The officials recovered spurious drugs and other valuables worth around Rs 5 crore. The SIT was formed on August 20 to probe the network.