In a major crackdown on synthetic drug manufacturing, the Mira Bhayandar–Vasai Virar (MBVV) Police arrested Srinivas Vijay Murthy Voleti, a computer science graduate, and his aide Tanaji Pandharinath Patwari for allegedly operating a Mephedrone (MD) production facility in Navodaya Colony, Cherlapally, Hyderabad.
The MBVV Crime Branch raided the factory on Friday and uncovered a massive cache of narcotics and chemicals. Police recovered 5.79 kg of Mephedrone, 35,500 litres of chemicals, and 950 kg of Methylene Dichloride (MDC) powder used in the production of synthetic drugs.
According to officials, Voleti owned two pharma companies:
Vagdevi Lab (established in 2020), which claimed to produce COVID-related molecules.
Vagdevi Innoscience (established in 2015), focused on pharmaceutical R&D.
The raid is linked to a wider investigation that began after the arrest of Fatima Murad Shaikh, a 23-year-old Bangladeshi woman caught with 105 grams of MD in Mira Road on August 8. She led investigators to several other accused in the supply chain, including:
Kader Badshah Rehman Shaikh (41) – Dahisar
Javed Umaruddin Mansoori (38) – Mira Road
Mohammad Faheem Hafeez Rehman Malik (46)
Firoz alias Niyaz Naeem Shaikh (39)
Mustafa Yunus Khan (22)
Imran Aslam Khan (33)
Firoz Aslam Khan (33)
Javed Aslam Khan (38)
Salim Khan (38)
These arrests yielded further MD worth Rs5.5 lakh and helped uncover the Hyderabad-based drug production unit.
ACP Madan Ballal of the MBVV Crime Branch confirmed that investigations are ongoing to trace the supply chain of raw materials and determine the scale of distribution.
