Psychotropic drugs: NCB nabs 2 pvt hospital owners

A day after the arrest of a pharmaceutical firm owner by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) following the seizure of psychotropic drugs, the central agency has nabbed two private hospital owners in the case.

Identified as Jatinder Malhotra and Rajan, they were produced in the court which sent them to judicial custody. According to information, the NCB didn’t sought their police remand. The NCB had seized around 2,000 tablets of tramadol from each one of them and they didn’t had the requisite licence to keep such quantity of psychotropic drugs.

Earlier, the NCB had arrested a pharmaceutical firm owner Amit Bhandari and confiscated over 30,000 psychotropic tablets. With this a number of private hospitals in the city and adjoining areas have also come under scanner of the central agency. Apart from the firm owner, the NCB also booked his brother, a journalist and several others, including Malhotra and Rajan.

Sources said the NCB had seized records of several hospitals and more heads may role during further course of investigation. “More than 30,000 intoxicant tablets were seized while the suspects had failed to produce the pertinent record. There have been discrepancies in the documentation which raised suspicion,” the official said. He said efforts were on to nab the remaining accused. The NCB has taken around eight year’s record for scrutiny. Bhandari was arrested on Friday and is currently in the police remand.

Amritsar