Maha ANTF busts 3 MD factories in Bengaluru, seizes drugs worth ₹55-Cr

According to the police, their operation began when the ANTF’s Konkan unit arrested a suspected drug peddler in Vashi, Navi Mumbai

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) has busted three illegal mephedrone (MD) manufacturing units operating from homes in Bengaluru and seized over 21kg of drugs worth more than ₹55 crore. Four people have been arrested in the case, the police said.

Maha ANTF busts 3 MD factories in Bengaluru, seizes drugs worth ₹55-Cr

According to the police, their operation began when the ANTF’s Konkan unit arrested a suspected drug peddler in Vashi, Navi Mumbai. The accused, identified as Abdul Kadir Rashid Shaikh,was found loitering suspiciously near the old bus stop in Vashi village along the Mumbai-Pune Highway.

The police searched him and recovered 1.48 kg of mephedrone worth around ₹1.48 crore. A case was registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at Vashi police station, and the ANTF took over the investigation.

Shaikh’s interrogation led the Konkan ANTF squad to Prashant Yallappa Patil, a resident of Belgaum, suspected to be the manufacturer of the drug. Patil was tracked down and arrested, and during his interrogation he revealed that the drug was being manufactured in three makeshift factories in Bengaluru.

The police then arrested two others, Suresh Ramesh Yadav and Malkhan Ramlal Bishnoi, both from Rajasthan. The duo confessed that they were involved in the making and distribution of MD, and led the police to the three houses where the makeshift factories were located. One was in RJ Event in the NG Golahalli area, another was a house in Spandana Layout and the third was a house in Yerpanhalli Kannur, the police said.

After searching the three locations, the police found 4.1 kg of MD in powder form and 17.3 kg in liquid form, several chemicals used to make the psychotropic substance and the equipment required to manufacture it.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the drugs produced at these units were supplied to several parts of the country. The police also said the accused had invested money earned from drug trafficking into properties in Bengaluru.

ANTF officials said two more suspects have been identified in the racket and teams have been sent to trace and arrest them. ANTF chief Sharada Raut has urged citizens to contact the special task force’s number - 07218000073, if they get any information about drug trafficking.