HYDERABAD: Four illicit manufacturers of Alprazolam, a drug used for treating anxiety disorders, were apprehended by the sleuths of Telangana State Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TS-NAB) along with Sangareddy district police on Wednesday.
Two of the accused hold degrees in Chemistry. The police seized raw materials, two distillation units and two cars, all worth Rs 70 lakhs.
The accused have been identified as Kamal Brahmananda Goud, Chirugory David, Kondapuram Shiva and Vinodkumar Sakinala; all are residents of Sangareddy.
The police found that Brahmananda Goud and David were both previously involved in a similar case of illegal manufacture of alprazolam in 2018.
They both later decided to start the manufacturing unit and engaged Kondapuram Siva, a chemist at a pharma company. They then hatched a plan to procure intermediary chemicals available in the market and synthesise alprazolam, the police said.
The team also engaged Vinod Kumar, a local to start the unit at Fasalwadi village in the outskirts of Sangareddy.