DRI books firm with ties to Ramdev

The firm was illegally importing rare or restricted medicinal herbs

NEW DELHI: A trading family with close ties to yoga guru Baba Ramdev has been booked by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) for illegally importing rare and restricted herbs that could probably fight ailments from erectile dysfunction to cirrhosis of the liver.

The key player, Saket Aggarwal, has not made himself available for questioning as yet. His father Praveen is associated with Ramdev’s ashram in Delhi while his brother Shobhit runs a pharmacy, which sells finished products from the ashram.

A spokesperson for Baba Ramdev’s ashram SK Pijarawala said the Agarwals were herb suppliers to the ashram like several others.

Pravin Agarwal had provided the ashram space at Kohat enclave for providing free medical service and he even bore the expenses from time to time, Pijarawala said. They had no other connection with Baba Ramdev, he added.

A search-and-seize operation made last month at the Tughlakabad inland container depot yielded rare herbs worth lakhs of rupees. The raid followed intelligence information that a large quantity of restricted herbs was being smuggled into the country through misdeclaration.

Nearly 22,800 kg of rare herbs, which were being imported from China, were seized and a number of godowns in Delhi sealed.

The seizure was made on January 7. This was followed up with searches at the business and residential premises of Saket Aggarwal, a Khari Baoli businessman. Saket’s employees and family members have already been questioned by DRI sleuths.

According to intelligence sources, Aggarwal’s firm had allegedly declared 320 bags, with 22,400 kg of herbs, as containing the herb inula racemosa. The remaining five boxes weighing 400 kg were said to contain ginseng.

 However, when the contents were examined in the presence of wildlife experts, the 320 bags yielded the restricted herb saussurea lappa.

This herb has medicinal properties which can help cure abdominal distention, asthma, bronchitis, cirrhosis, erectile dysfunction, hepatitis, jaundice, premature greying of hair, rheumatism and liver dysfunction.

Saussurea lappa, which is listed among six species mentioned in schedule VI of the Wildlife Protection Act, is said to be on the verge of extinction and is banned for commercial trade. This herb can be traded only for purposes of research and on a trade permit only.

The five other boxes contained orchis latifolia or Salab Panja. This herb is not threatened with extinction but experts fear it may become so unless its trade is closely monitored. In India, the import of this herb does not require a permit but in some other countries there are stricter norms for monitoring its trade.

This herb is said to be helpful in curing diarrhoea, dysentery, erectile dysfunction, nervous debility, nocturnal emissions and tuberculosis.

Senior DRI officials refused to comment on the case and said that there was no evidence to link Baba Ramdev’s organisation with the illegal trade.

“There is no evidence against Baba Ramdev’s organisation. It is mere conjecture, which our investigating agency does not support. We cannot comment anything beyond this,” said a senior official.

Saket Aggarwal, who has reportedly moved an anticipatory bail application in a Delhi court, had started a firm by the name of Kartik Traders and made an employee Satish Kumar its proprietor.

Satish Kumar, when questioned, told DRI officers that he got a meagre monthly salary and only handled import-export documentation for Kartik Traders and another firm run by the Aggarwals called International Traders.

According to DRI sources, Satish Kumar was paid a monthly salary of Rs5,000, and a commission of 1% on the sale of herbs. Kumar had a network of buyers for these herbs all over the country. The DRI is now trying to track down the end users of these rare herbs.