Hyderabad Drug Bust: Police Launch Week-Long Probe into Suspected Large Network

quick Summary

• Custody Granted: MBVV police from Maharashtra obtained custody of Srinivas Vijay Voleti (owner of Vagdevi Laboratories pvt. Ltd.) and chemical analyst Tanaji for interrogation over illegal drug manufacturing at the Cherlapalli unit.
• Drug bust Details: Authorities seized 5.8 kg of mephedrone (approximate market value ₹9 crore),along with 35,500 litres of chemicals,950 kg of powder,and industrial-scale production equipment during a raid on September 5.
• Examination Scope: Voleti’s other firm, Vagdevi Innoscience Pvt.Ltd., was searched but yielded no incriminating evidence; however, materials at the Cherlapalli site lacked authorizations or Pollution Control Board certifications.Telangana authorities have widened probes into similar operations in Hyderabad following this revelation.
• Source Arrest: The racket surfaced after fatima murad Shaikh alias molla (Bangladeshi national) was arrested in Mumbai on August 8, pointing investigators to Telangana as her supply origin.
• additional Seizures and Arrests: Total confiscation includes electronic weighing machines, phones, vehicles, and manufacturing tools; arrests linked to the racket now number 12 individuals.
• Regulatory Gap Identified: The Drugs Control Governance clarified that Vagdevi Laboratories is a chemical factory-not a licensed pharmaceutical company-and stated that mephedrone does not fall under medicine regulations.

!Stored raw materials inside Vagdevi Laboratories Pvt Ltd unit

Indian Opinion Analysis

Illegal drug manufacturing in India poses notable challenges for law enforcement due to sophisticated operations capable of producing narcotics at an industrial scale-as illustrated by the Cherlapalli bust involving mephedrone worth ₹9 crore and vast quantities of precursor chemicals awaiting forensic analysis in Mumbai courts.

The involvement of multiple firms raises concerns regarding regulatory oversight on chemical factories possibly exploiting existing gaps between pharmaceutical licensing laws and broader chemical usage policies-a discrepancy acknowledged by Telangana’s Drugs Control Administration.

With arrests spanning across states-from Maharashtra to Telangana-and international links through Bangladeshi operatives like Fatima Murad Shaikh’s network demonstrated here-cases like this underline India’s growing exposure to transnational drug cartels.

The implications are twofold: strengthening cross-state coordination between investigative agencies such as MBVV police and scaling up vigilance over industries handling potentially diverted substances used for illegal activities will become critical priorities moving forward.

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