Surat: MD Drugs Factory Busted, Three Arrested

Surat: In a major crackdown, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has busted an illegal factory manufacturing MD drugs in Surat's Karel village. The squad has arrested three people and seized MD drugs and raw materials worth Rs 51.40 crore.

According to the ATS, the factory was being operated in a tin shed in Darshan Industrial Estate in Karel village. The team received a tip-off about the illegal activity and raided the premises with the help of Surat SOG and Valsad SOG. During the raid, the team found 31.409 kg of liquid and 4 kg of hard-form MD drugs, along with equipment used to manufacture the drugs.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Sunil Yadav (28), a resident of Vapi, and Vijay Gajera (38), a resident of Varachha Yogichowk in Surat. The third accused, Harendra Korat, was arrested with the help of Junagadh Special Operation Group.

During the initial interrogation, the accused revealed that they had started the illegal activity just a month and a half ago. They had rented the tin shed for Rs 20,000 per month, posing as a chemical unit. Vijay Gajera is an electrical engineer, while Sunil Yadav is a chemical businessman.

The ATS team also found that Sunil Yadav had learned how to manufacture MD drugs by watching online videos on YouTube. The three accused had divided their tasks, with Sunil manufacturing the drugs, Vijay assisting him, and Harendra handling the raw material and drug supply.

The ATS has also found that the accused had sold 4 kg of MD drugs to a Mumbai-based buyer, Salim Sayed, and his associates. The team is now searching for Salim and his associates, as well as the suppliers of raw materials in Mumbai.

This is not the first time that an illegal MD drugs factory has been busted in the area. Four years ago, the Special Operation Group had raided a factory in Kadodra and arrested three people, including an engineer, and seized MD drugs and raw materials.