MALKANGIRI: In a major crackdown under ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’, Malkangiri police on Sunday busted a mobile hashish oil manufacturing unit near Chitrakonda, foiling what is suspected to be a Rs 100 crore drug operation.
Police seized around 800 litres of precursor chemicals, ganja and processing equipment during the raid. The breakthrough came early in the morning when a team led by Chitrakonda sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Pradosh Pradhan intercepted a suspicious vehicle near Essar chowk. The vehicle was heading towards Sileru area.
Police sources said specific intelligence inputs in recent days indicated that a syndicate was attempting to set up a hashish oil unit in the cut-off areas of Chitrakonda. Acting swiftly, police teams carried out multiple raids, forcing the accused to frequently shift the mobile setup to evade detection.
Officials estimated that the seized precursor chemicals alone could have been used to produce hashish oil worth over Rs 100 crore in the illegal market. The vehicle, bearing an Andhra Pradesh registration with a fake number plate, was also seized while its driver managed to flee.
Malkangiri SP Vinod Patil said acting on inputs, police intercepted the vehicle carrying the mobile unit and seized around 800 litres of chemical precursors, which had the potential to produce hashish oil with an estimated market value of over Rs 100 crore. Apart from the precursors, 50 kg of ganja, 2 litres of hashish oil and a complete mobile processing unit were seized.
DIG (South Western range) KV Singh termed the operation a significant success. “The seizure points to a structured interstate network trying to establish manufacturing capabilities here. We are intensifying intelligence-based operations to dismantle the entire syndicate,” he said.
Police have formed multiple teams to apprehend the driver who is absconding, identify other members of the network, and verify the origin and ownership of the seized vehicle. Further arrests are expected as the investigation progresses.
The bust is one of the largest seizures of its kind in the region, highlighting both the growing threat of organised drug networks and the increasing effectiveness of coordinated intelligence-driven policing in Malkangiri.
