Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, December 30, 2025: Police and security forces uncovered a well-organized illegal drug manufacturing factory in Bhiwadi that was operated by two engineers from Uttar Pradesh. The unit produced banned sleeping pills and other psychotropic drugs without any license or legal approval. The factory had been in operation for about six months before it was raided by the authorities. The action marks a major breakthrough in efforts to clamp down on the illegal drug trade in the region.
The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) led the raid in coordination with the Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG) and the Bhiwadi Police. Officers recovered large quantities of illegal drugs and arrested key suspects at the site. The authorities are now piecing together the full network behind the operation.
Information from law enforcement sources says the illegal unit was disguised as a legitimate industrial business in the RIICO industrial area of Bhiwadi. Officers traced suspicious activity over weeks and monitored movements before choosing to act. On Sunday, December 28, 2025, the ATS and SOG teams moved in and searched the premises.
Inside the factory, investigators found machines, raw chemicals and powdered substances used to manufacture sleeping pills and other psychotropic drugs. The setup was sophisticated and raised suspicions that the operation was supplying far beyond the local market.
During the raid, agencies seized around 22 kilograms of psychotropic material, including a significant portion of alprazolam, a sleeping pill that falls under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act because of its high potential for abuse and misuse. Authorities have recorded this haul as one of the biggest illegal drug recoveries in the area this year.
Jaipur SOG Additional Director General Vishal Bansal said the accused had strong technical knowledge in pharmaceutical manufacturing and were not amateurs. He explained that they had carefully planned a five step process to produce alprazolam, starting with sourcing raw materials and moving through controlled mixing, precise temperature regulation, and chemical processing.
Bansal pointed out that making alprazolam is not simple. It is a complicated process that demands accuracy, specialized equipment, and close control of temperature at every stage.
The seized substances were packed in unlabeled bags and weighed carefully by officials on the spot. All materials have now been sent for forensic testing to confirm exact composition and to support prosecution under the law. A case was registered at the Bhiwadi police station under relevant sections of the NDPS Act.
Police arrested three men at the scene of the factory during the raid. Law enforcement identified the main suspects as:
Anshul Shastri, an engineer from Agra, Uttar Pradesh
Akhilesh Parasnath Maurya, also involved in running the operation
Krishnakumar Shrei Yadav, a resident of Tapukara, Rajasthan
Investigators are looking into how the two engineers from Uttar Pradesh became involved in the illegal business and whether they had contacts or buyers outside Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Initial questioning suggests that Shastri and Maurya planned and managed the production while Yadav provided technical support inside the factory.
Police and intelligence teams are now analyzing mobile records, financial transactions and supply routes connected to the suspects to identify additional accomplices. Authorities are also trying to determine where the drugs were likely to be distributed and sold in the illicit market. Officials believe that the operation may form part of a larger organized network that spans multiple states.
The ATS and SOG continue to interrogate the arrested men and gather evidence that may lead to further arrests.
(Rh/ARC)
