Bibinagar Police Seize ₹54 Crore Mephedrone in Kondamadugu, Four Arrested

The Bibinagar police and the Special Operations Team (SOT) of Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district arrested four persons on Sunday after seizing 27 kg of mephedrone valued at around ₹54 crore on the outskirts of Kondamadugu. Police also recovered 40 kg of acetone, a chemical used in drug manufacturing, during the operation.

According to Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district Superintendent of Police Akshansh Yadav, the arrests were made following credible information about the transportation of illicit drugs. Police and SOT personnel intercepted an SUV on the outskirts of Kondamadugu, where they discovered the mephedrone—a synthetic stimulant covered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act—along with the acetone inside the vehicle.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly told police that the mephedrone had been manufactured at Vetukuri Labs in Kondamadugu between August 5 and August 7 with the help of other associates. The drug was allegedly being transported from Kondamadugu to Nagpur for further distribution.

Following the disclosures, police searched Vetukuri Labs and seized a reactor, a centrifuge, and other equipment used in the manufacture of the drug. SP Akshansh Yadav stated that further action would be taken against the laboratory in accordance with the law.

The four arrested individuals were identified as Chetan Madhukar Meshram, 49, of Nagpur, Maharashtra; Muvjamal Hoque, 25, of Marigaon, Assam; Akash Ashok Gawande, 31, of Nagpur; and Upadrasthra Ramana Murthy, 65, of Chandanagar, Hyderabad. Police identified Meshram as the alleged organiser and financier of the operation, while Murthy, who was in charge of Vetukuri Labs, was allegedly involved in the manufacturing process.

Special teams have been formed to trace four other suspects who are absconding. They were identified as Md. Ayub Ali of Assam, Chanda Pradeep Thakur and Gopal Sirpat Patelia of Nagpur, and Yeatucuri Ramaraju of Peerzadiguda, Hyderabad.