Tirupathi: Nellore police have busted a five-member gang involved in manufacturing and selling narcotic drugs in the district as well as other areas.
The accused watched videos on the dark web to learn the techniques of formulating the banned substances.
Acting on a tip-off, Nellore Rural police conducted raids on Sunday and arrested Peteti Sathwik (31), Challa Srinivasulu Reddy (20), Malli Babu (38), Kunchala Venkaiah (37) from Gudur town of Tirupati district, and Vinod Kumar (29) from Tilwada village in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh. They seized 560 grams of narcotic powder and 1.98 kg ganja worth around Rs 15 lakh from the gang's possession.
Disclosing the case details to media, Nellore SP Dr. K. Tirumaleswara Reddy said the accused invested Rs 2 lakh to procure raw materials like ganja to manufacture Meth or Mephedrone, a banned narcotic drug, after watching tutorials online. They were planning to sell the drugs in Nellore district and neighbouring areas for a profit.
“The gang rented a house in Dhanalakshmipuram on outskirts of Nellore, where they set up a small laboratory to manufacture the contraband substances,” the SP stated.
Cases under relevant sections of NDPS Act have been registered against the accused.
The SP requested public to inform police on toll-free number 14500 if they notice any suspicious activities.
