The Sampadak Express News Desk
Telangana’s EAGLE Force has uncovered a suspected interstate synthetic drug manufacturing network after a highway seizure near Hyderabad led investigators to a clandestine facility at a poultry farm in Maharashtra’s Gondia district on October 17. Police have identified 24 accused across the network, with 11 arrested or in custody and 13 still absconding. The Hindu reported, citing a police complaint dated October 18, that the case widened from an August interception of an SUV carrying mephedrone.
The investigation gained momentum on August 8 when Bibi Nagar police intercepted a Toyota Fortuner bound for Nagpur and seized 27.2 kg of mephedrone and 56.98 kg of acetone. Three men — identified as Chetan Madhukar Meshram, Mujammel Hoque and Akash Ashok Gawande — were arrested at the scene. The case was transferred to EAGLE Force after links emerged to a larger organised manufacturing operation spanning multiple States.
Following the vehicle seizure, an EAGLE Force team traced a suspected drug production site to a poultry farm at Maregaon village in Gondia district on October 17. Officers found chemical-processing equipment and chemical residues on the premises, prompting Maharashtra Police to register a separate case. On the same day, EAGLE Force apprehended Jairaj Krishna Shetty, the alleged owner of JSV Globals in Vasai, Maharashtra, on suspicion of supplying propionyl chloride — a precursor chemical — to Meshram and his associates for illicit manufacturing.
According to the October 18 police complaint, the probe’s trail ran through Hyderabad, where laboratory apparatus was procured starting in March 2024. A man identifying himself as Krishna approached TVR Scientific Glass Works, a lab equipment supplier in Bahadurpally, to buy a 200-litre reaction and distillation unit initially quoted at ₹3.25 lakh. After negotiations, the price was reduced to ₹2,92,500 plus GST. An advance of ₹45,000 was reportedly paid in cash during a meeting near JNTU in Kukatpally in April.
The equipment was shifted to Nagpur the following month, but installation was delayed until the buyer confirmed a location. A week later, supplier representatives were taken to an agricultural field where the unit was installed. Additional cash payments of ₹80,000, ₹84,000 and ₹50,000 were made on separate occasions, investigators recorded. In July 2024, the same buyer placed another order for a 20-litre laboratory flask setup costing ₹84,500, which was dispatched to Nagpur via a cargo service.
Investigators examined the roles of two Hyderabad-linked intermediaries: Taneti Anand Kumar, associated with the glassware supplier, and Pabbeti Kishtaiah, who allegedly facilitated purchases. Kishtaiah told investigators he coordinated the transactions on behalf of Fadh Shaikh, whom he identified as the son of Fayaz Ahmed Rasool Sheikh. He said communications with Shaikh were conducted through the encrypted app Signal, while WhatsApp was used to liaise with the Hyderabad supplier. He also stated that he later deleted the WhatsApp messages and removed Signal from his phone.
The inquiry also flagged suspected links to two Hyderabad facilities — Vetukuri Labs in Kondamadugu and SM Labs in Moula Ali. TVR Scientific Glass Works had previously supplied equipment and services to Vetukuri Labs, whose staff reported encountering Meshram and Kasani Srinivas when visiting to recover outstanding payments, according to investigators. In December 2025, Srinivas allegedly sought quotations for additional laboratory equipment, including a six-neck round-bottom flask, a water bath and a stirrer motor.
Officials said they are probing suspected manufacture not only of mephedrone but also alprazolam and ephedrine, and are mapping the movement of precursor chemicals and laboratory equipment across State lines. Efforts are under way to track financial transactions, identify chemical suppliers and logistics providers, and apprehend the remaining accused.
