Archive · 9 Aug 2026
Four arrested in Telangana with mephedrone worth Rs 54 crore
Police in the Indian state of Telangana caught four people who were carrying a bad, illegal drug called mephedrone.
The police found 27 kilograms of the drug, which they said is worth 54 crore rupees, a huge amount of money.
The men were taking the drug to a city called Nagpur to give it to other people.
Police also found two cans of a chemical called acetone, which is used to make drugs.
The arrested men told police the drug was made in a secret laboratory called Vetukuri Labs in a village called Kondamadugu.
Police searched the laboratory and took machines used to make drugs, including a reactor and a centrifuge.
The four people were taken to court and sent to jail while they wait for their trial.
Some other people who helped with the drug, including the laboratory owner, are still hiding from the police.
Four persons were arrested in Telangana's Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district for allegedly transporting mephedrone, a banned drug under the NDPS Act.
Police seized 27 kg of mephedrone valued at Rs 54 crore, along with around 40 kg of acetone in two plastic cans.
The contraband was allegedly being transported from Kondamadugu to Nagpur in Maharashtra for further distribution.
The accused allegedly confessed the drug was illegally manufactured at Vetukuri Labs in Kondamadugu between August 5 and 7.
A reactor and centrifuge were seized from the laboratory; the four accused were remanded in judicial custody while key accused, including the lab owner, remain absconding.
- Who
- Four persons - Chetan Madhukar Meshram (49) and Akash Ashok Gawande (31) of Nagpur, Muvjamal Hoque (25) of Assam, and Upadrasthra Ramana Murthy (65) of Hyderabad - arrested by Bibinagar police and the special operations team (SOT) of Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district, Telangana.
- What
- Seizure of 27 kg of mephedrone valued at Rs 54 crore, along with around 40 kg of acetone, and a raid on the laboratory where the drug was allegedly manufactured.
- When
- The car was intercepted on August 8 and the arrests were announced on Sunday, August 9; the drug was allegedly manufactured between August 5 and 7.
- Where
- Near Kondamadugu village in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, Telangana, India; the drug was destined for Nagpur, Maharashtra.
- Why
- The banned drug was allegedly being transported from Kondamadugu to Nagpur for distribution after being manufactured at a laboratory.
- Contraband seized
- 27 kg mephedrone (banned under NDPS Act)
- Estimated value
- Rs 54 crore
- Additional seizure
- Around 40 kg acetone in two plastic cans
- Alleged manufacturing lab
- Vetukuri Labs, Kondamadugu village
- Intended destination
- Nagpur, Maharashtra
- Interception date and location
- August 8, outskirts of Kondamadugu village, Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri, Telangana
- Number arrested
- 4 (two from Maharashtra, one from Assam, one from Hyderabad)
- Status
- Remanded in judicial custody; key accused, including the lab owner, absconding
