Members of the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) have seized 6.44kg of ketamine hidden inside towels bound for Italy and arrested two suspects in connection with the seizure.

The drugs were recovered on Friday from a courier service in Gazipur’s Tongi area, DNC Director General Hasan Maruf said at a press conference at the DNC headquarters in Dhaka’s Segunbagicha on Sunday.

The arrestees were identified as Masudur Rahman Zilani, 28, from Chandpur’s Matlab Uttar, and Arifur Rahman, 43, from Faridpur’s Salta, according to the DNC.

Acting on a tip-off, a DNC team searched a suspicious parcel headed for Italy and found seven white towels inside a khaki-colored carton. A chemical test confirmed the towels contained ketamine, dissolved into the fabric, Maruf said.

Using CCTV footage, the sender’s address, and intelligence information, the DNC tracked Masudur to Chandpur and later arrested Arifur in Faridpur. Two Android phones and a button phone were seized from Arifur.

During interrogation, Arifur confessed to his involvement and links to an international drug trafficking network, Maruf said.

The duo has been charged under the Narcotics Control Act, 2018, and further investigation is underway, he added.