₹55.88 crore drug factory busted in Bengaluru: Maharashtra ANTF seizes 21.4 kg narcotics, 4 arrested

Acting on intelligence from earlier Mumbai seizures, Maharashtra’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force raided three drug factories and a warehouse in Bengaluru, exposing a multi-state synthetic drug network run by Rajasthan-based kingpins.

In a major breakthrough against organised drug manufacturing, the Maharashtra Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) has busted multiple illegal synthetic drug factories operating within Bengaluru, seizing MD drugs worth ₹55.88 crore and arresting four accused.

The operation was carried out on the 26th by the Konkan division of the Maharashtra ANTF. During coordinated raids across three locations in Bengaluru, officers uncovered a well-organised MD synthetic drug manufacturing and storage network functioning discreetly in isolated areas of the city.

The case traces back to a recent drug seizure in Mumbai, where MD drugs worth ₹1.5 crore were confiscated and Abdullah Khader Sheikh was arrested. His interrogation led investigators to Belagavi-based Prashant Yallappa Patil, who was subsequently taken into custody. Based on information provided by Patil, ANTF teams conducted raids in Bengaluru.

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During the Bengaluru operation, two Rajasthan natives, Suraj Ramesh Yadav and Malkhan Ram Lal Bishnoi, were arrested. Investigators later discovered that the drug factories were being operated under the cover of an entity named “RJ Event”.

The ANTF identified three key locations involved in the operation. The first illegal factory was located at Spandana Layout Colony under the Bagaluru police station limits. The second was found in N.G. Gollahalli, within the Kothanur police station jurisdiction, operating in the name of RJ Event. A third location, a drug storage warehouse, was detected at a house in Yerapannahalli, under Avalahalli police station limits.

According to investigators, the accused had constructed sheds inside farm lands in secluded areas to avoid detection. These facilities were reportedly producing drugs daily while carefully evading police surveillance.

From the three sites, ANTF seized 4.1 kg of solid MD, 17 kg of liquid MD, totalling 21.4 kg of narcotics. In addition, large quantities of chemical substances and specialised machinery used for drug manufacturing were recovered.

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Officials suspect that drugs produced at these Bengaluru factories were supplied to multiple states across India. The investigation has revealed that the entire operation was masterminded by two Rajasthan-based drug kingpins, Yogiraj Kumar and Nayan Pawar, who are believed to be running similar factories in different parts of the country. While four accused have been arrested so far, ANTF teams are actively searching for the kingpins.

The case has now become a major concern for Bengaluru police. Despite the presence of a narcotics control unit within the City Crime Branch (CCB), the factories operated undetected for a long period. Sources indicate that earlier enforcement efforts focused mainly on arresting street-level peddlers and foreign or out-of-state users, while large-scale manufacturing units within the city went unnoticed.

The issue is expected to be discussed at a high-level meeting at the Police Commissioner’s office today, attended by the Karnataka Home Minister. With New Year celebrations approaching, investigators believe drug production had been scaled up to meet anticipated demand.

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Maharashtra police continue to question the arrested accused as the probe expands to uncover the full extent of the inter-state drug network.