Jodhpur/Jaipur: A brief gunfight erupted in Balesar town of Jodhpur district on Sunday as the Rajasthan Police's Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) stormed a secluded under-construction building and dismantled an illicit mephedrone (MD) manufacturing unit.
Details of the Raid
ANTF sleuths arrested six individuals and seized over 170 kg of precursor substances during the operation. IG Vikas Kumar of ANTF informed TOI that nearly 15 rounds were fired before the team could subdue the suspects. No ANTF personnel sustained injuries in the exchange.
The six accused have been identified as Hapu Ram, Budhram, Naresh, Narendra, Ajaaram, and Shravan. According to Kumar, Hapu Ram was the mastermind behind the operation, having rented the building on agricultural land for Rs 2.5 lakh per month to exploit its isolation and multiple vantage points.
Intelligence and Execution
Acting on intelligence developed over a month, ANTF teams surrounded the structure from all sides. As officers closed in, the accused opened fire and attempted to flee, leading to a gunfight. Kumar stated, "We arrested the six accused, two of whom were injured while trying to escape." Inside the facility, the team discovered a large quantity of precursor substances in the final stages of production. "The drug was one step short of completion and had been left to dry," Kumar added.
Officials indicated that the total seizure could increase as teams continued to comb the facility late into Sunday, with officials from the Narcotics Control Bureau also called to the scene.
Scaling Up Production
Kumar revealed that the racket had scaled up production after prices surged due to a supply squeeze, shifting from initial batches of 5-10 kg to bulk production. The accused reportedly planned to sell the MD at approximately Rs 30 lakh per kilogram. "We are tracking down other suspects involved in the racket, and the investigation remains ongoing," Kumar concluded.
