Hyderabad: A clandestine drug manufacturing unit, Sri Yadadri Life Sciences Chemical Factory, was busted at Ramajipet village in Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district and law enforcing agencies seized 120 kg of the banned ephedrine worth 24 crore from those associated with the unit. Three persons have been arrested. The drug was to be transported to Mumbai, police said.
The unit was sealed by the Pollution Control Board a few months ago, but they were operating it illegally for manufacturing the banned drug in bulk.
Deputy commissioner of police, Yadadri Bhongir zone, M Rajesh said that based on intelligence inputs about a drug delivery scheduled near the Bibinagar toll plaza, special teams, comprising Yadadri-Bhongir zone police along with Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TGANB), intercepted two Hyundai Verna cars and seized 100 kg of ephedrine from a vehicle. Based on the clues from those caught, police raided Sri Yadadri Life Sciences Chemical Factory in Ramajipet village and seized an additional 15 kg of the drug and manufacturing equipment. Further, another five kg was seized from one Ismail at Jeedimetla and he was also arrested.
Earlier, N Krishna Reddy, a realtor, got an offer from one Ismail of Jeedimetla, who proposed manufacturing banned substances. Reddy approached the unit owner, Vasudeva Chary. Chary roped in Satyanarayana, an experienced chemist, to manufacture the drug, and all of them were offered huge commissions, an investigating officer said.
Police arrested Krishna Reddy, Faizan Ahmad Israr Ahmad, who was working for Mumbai-based receivers, and Reddy’s driver, Chepru Sunil. Factory owner Vasudeva Chary, Satyanarayana, their associate Bhanu Prasad, Ahmad’s handler Salman Saleem Shaik Dola, and his assistant Salman were at large.
