Sitamau/Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh): Sitamau Police have busted an illegal mephedrone (MD) manufacturing unit at Manpura village, seizing more than 325 kg of chemicals, 110 grams of finished MD, sophisticated manufacturing equipment and a suspected stolen Mahindra Scorpio-N during a late-Friday night raid.
Police said the suspects escaped after allegedly opening fire on the raiding team.
Acting on a tip-off, a special police team raided a tin-shed structure on a farm along the Manpura-Badavdi road. According to police, the suspects attempted to flee in the SUV, which got stuck in the field. They allegedly fired at the police, prompting the team to return fire in self-defence. The suspects escaped under the cover of darkness.
SP Vinod Kumar Meena said the seized chemicals, including MDC, hydrochloric acid and bromo compounds, were sufficient to manufacture an estimated 100 to 150 kg of MD, valued at Rs 100 crore to Rs 150 crore in the international market.
Police also recovered electronic weighing scales, gas furnaces, heat guns, motorised drums and other equipment used in drug production.
A case has been registered against Dilip Gayari, Govind Gayari and Pintu Singh Sisodia under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, the BNS and the Arms Act.
Police said preliminary investigations indicate links to Rajasthan and that the factory was being shifted before the raid. Search operations are continuing to trace the suspects.
The operation was carried out by a police team led by Sitamau SHO Kamlesh Prajapati, with SHOs Anil Raghuvanshi, Kuldeep Rathore, Kapil Saunriya, Vinay Bundela and outpost in-charge Vikas Gehlot, assisted by the cyber cell team.
