On Saturday the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) carried out a raid in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh and seized a large drug‑making lab. Police busted a hidden facility that was producing the prescription benzodiazepine Alprazolam, a drug that is often misused as a recreational drug and in illicit alcohol and heroin mixtures.
The operation, prompted by a tip‑off, targeted a site near the IPCA Laboratory on Mhow‑Neemuch Road. After keeping a close watch on the suspected location, NCB officers entered the warehouse and arrested two men who had been running the operation.
The suspects are Roop Singh Chauhan, 51, a B. Tech graduate from Shri Vaishnav Institute of Management and Science in Indore, and Abhijeet Singh Chauhan, 39, a B. Pharma graduate from Rishiraj College of Pharmacy, Indore, who had previously worked with the Indian Red Cross Society in Ratlam. The two men were partners in pharmaceutical and Ayurvedic product businesses.
During the raid, authorities seized 13.762 kilograms of Alprazolam, estimated to be worth about Rs 3.44 crore on the illegal market. The drug, regulated under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, is popular for recreational abuse and is also used to cut toddy in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and to adulterate heroin in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and nearby regions.
In addition to the drug, the NCB recovered lab equipment – round‑bottom flasks, oil baths, condensers, stirrers, thermometers – and large quantities of precursor chemicals and solvents used for clandestine production.
The preliminary investigation shows that the suspects leveraged their pharmaceutical background and existing facilities to manufacture Alprazolam illegally. They had rented the warehouse on Mhow‑Neemuch Road in January 2025 to start the drug‑manufacturing operation.
This raid is part of the NCB’s ongoing crackdown on drug traffickers and synthetic drug labs in India.
Source: ianslive
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
