Officials from the Telangana State Anti-Narcotics Bureau arrested 16 individuals, including a constable of the Prohibition and Excise Department in Kamareddy, in connection with a well connected racket manufacturing and supplying Alprazolam.
The arrests were made following multiple raids which helped the police trace the manufacturers, transporters and suppliers who were functioning as an organised network, informed Sandeep Shandilya, the Director of Telangana State Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TSNAB).
The main accused Sukka Narsimha Goud has been illegally transporting Alprazolam for the past 25 years with his contacts of suppliers in Delhi. “He purchases the drug at the rate of ₹2.4 lakhs per kilogram and sells the same for ₹3.5 lakh per kilogram to the customers. Every month, he would sell 30 to 40 kilograms of Alprazolam,” explained the official.
Meanwhile, Kiran Kumar, the managing director of Parameshwara Chemicals in Vijayawada, was found preparing 70 kilograms of Alprazolam after taking a factory premises on lease. “The Alprazolam drug manufactured there was channelled through suppliers into the market. In the follow up investigation, the police arrested Ramesh, the Excise Constable of Kamareddy, Narender of Cherlapally, Sandila Krisna of Mettuguda and Satish Goud of Suryapet. Satish supplied the drug to six persons; Kondal, Sathyam, Ravi, Tulasidas, Sathyam and another person, all of whom are currently at large,” said Mr. Shandilya
Mr. Shandilya stressed that Alprazolam is a very dangerous chemical and is as addictive as cocaine. “The withdrawal symptoms are very painful. Moreover, it is being manufactured in factories with raw materials like Benzoyl Cyanide, which poses a grave risk,” he explained.
Investigation by the Bureau revealed that through the drug trade, Narsimha Goud and his family members have acquired illegal properties including a three-storey building in Kondapur worth ₹3.5 crore, three open plots in Gachibowli worth ₹5.4 crore, nine acres of agricultural land at Kollapur, six acres of agricultural land at Ankiraopally village and four acres of agriculture land at Pentlavelly Village of Nagar Kurnool. “In 2022, he also purchased two acres of land in the outskirts of Kollapur for ₹2 crores while investing in chit funds and giving loans to his known persons for interest. Other movable and immovable properties are yet to be identified,” said the official.
