Cherlapally drug-manufacturing case: Police shift two suspects to Mumbai

Hyderabad: Police on Sunday evening shifted two prime suspects in the Cherlapally drug-manufacturing case to Mumbai.

This follows the recovery of nearly six kilograms of mephedrone from a unit masquerading as a chemical factory. The duo will be produced before a local court.

Raid on ‘Chemical Factory’ uncovers synthetic drug

On September 7, acting on intelligence, Mumbai police raided a facility in Cherlapally Industrial Area, discovering 5.968 kg of mephedrone (“meow-meow”), 35,000 litres of chemicals, and 950 kg of precursor powder. The drug is banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Prime accused had prior brush with NCB

Investigators identified the main accused as Srinivas Vijay Voleti, owner of Vagdevi InnoScience, which has operated since 2015. Voleti had previously been arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau’s Mumbai unit, securing interim anticipatory bail after no contraband was directly recovered. “That earlier case is still pending,” an officer said.

Legal cover shielded operations earlier

Officials revealed they had earlier attempted a raid but were deterred when the company produced valid trade licences. “They portrayed themselves as a legitimate chemical business, so we devised a plan to catch them red-handed,” the officer explained. The firm had also received a Telangana Pollution Control Board notice in 2020.

Wider arrests and network links

Along with Voleti and his associate Tanhaji, police detained Fatima Murad Shaikh, a 23-year-old Bangladeshi national who allegedly acted as a Mumbai-based street distributor. In all, 12 people have been arrested in the case as the investigation tracks supply channels.