This is the second instance of Maharashtra police busting a drug unit in Karnataka. Recently, a similar factory was unearthed in Mysuru, where police seized 187.97 kg of mephedrone worth Rs 381.96 crore and arrested four persons.
The Konkan division of Maharashtra ANTF raided three different locations in Bengaluru, during which the drug manufacturing units were busted. The racket came to light after police arrested a drug peddler, identified as Abdul Khader, and seized drugs worth Rs 1.5 crore on December 21 in Mumbai. During interrogation, he revealed his source, leading the police to Prashanth Yallappa Patil, who hails from Belagavi. Based on Patil’s information, the police learnt about three locations from where drugs were being sourced and they turned out to be factories.
One of the factories was operating at Spandana Layout under the Bagaluru police limits and was projected as a business warehouse, another was at NG Gollahalli under Kothanur police limits and was operating as an RJ event management office and the last was at a house in Yerappanahalli under the Avalahalli police limits.
Laxity claim a lie, drug unit bust a joint operation: Dr G
The police said that during the operation, they seized 4.1 kg of solid MD and 17 kg of liquid MD, along with drug manufacturing machinery, chemicals, and equipment, all valued at approximately Rs 55.88 crore. Four persons were arrested, while the alleged kingpin, suspected to be from Rajasthan, is absconding.
The fact that three drug manufacturing units operated for nearly a year in the jurisdiction of the Bengaluru City Police raises serious questions about the city police’s intelligence network.
It points to glaring lapses in local police surveillance. Despite the Central Crime Branch (CCB) having a dedicated anti-narcotics wing focusing on drug trafficking, both the CCB and jurisdictional police failed to detect the illegal activities within their respective limits.
Rs 58 cr drug seizure claim far from truth, says home minister
Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara on Sunday, however, said that claims of a Rs 58-crore drug seizure were misleading, asserting that the total estimated value of the seized drugs was around Rs 1.2 crore. He said that with the New Year approaching, the police have intensified operations against drug trafficking across the state since October and November.
Based on information provided by an accused arrested in Mumbai, the Maharashtra police detained an accused in Bengaluru on Saturday. The Mumbai and Bengaluru police along with NCB and SOCO team conducted a joint operation to arrest him. The accused was found in possession of mephedrone, used in the manufacture of drugs. Claims that Bengaluru City Police failed to act in the case are incorrect, the minister added.
Dismissing claims of a Rs 58 crore drug seizure, he said the seized chemical is valued at Rs 30 lakh per kg, and 4 kg of the chemical amounted to Rs 1.20 crore. Following the Mysuru incident, officials have been instructed to act with greater caution, and anti-drug operations have been intensified since October, he said.
Parameshwara said that claims of three drug factories operating in Bengaluru were also false. A deputy commissioner of police was present along with Mumbai police officers during the raid, he said. He said the fight against drug trafficking is being carried out in an organised manner at the national level.
The minister warned that strict action will be taken against any officer, whether a DCP, ACP, or local official, if such incidents occur in Bengaluru in the future. “Not just suspension, but other stringent action will also be taken,” he said.
