Jaipur/Bhilwara: Police Friday uncovered a tech-savvy narcotics operation in Chittorgarh district and seized a drone along with cash, vehicles and sophisticated equipment from a smack and mephedrone (MD) manufacturing unit.The drone was allegedly used to track police movement and map escape routes during raids, Chittorgarh SP Manish Tripathi said. The action followed the arrest of two accused on Thursday night, from whom small quantities of MD were recovered. Technical analysis and interrogation of the accused, identified as Sattu Mali and Jeevan Vaishnav, led investigators to Jeeva Nayakon Ka Kheda village where the illegal drug factory was operating, he said.
As per a preliminary probe, the suspects had deployed the drone in the isolated terrain for surveillance and to assess access and exit routes. During the raid, police seized Rs 14 lakh in cash and a currency counting machine.Investigators also recovered an expensive punching machine allegedly used to erase and restamp vehicle chassis numbers, and seized three vehicles. Four laptops believed to have been used for accounting and keeping records were also seized.The village had earlier been flagged as sensitive, with police encountering resistance, including stone-pelting incidents, the SP said. To avoid confrontation, around 100 personnel, led by deputy superintendents of police, carried out the operation at dawn.The raided premises have been identified as belonging to Jagdish Banjara and his sons Ashok and Rahul. All three allegedly fled to the surrounding hills during the raid and are absconding, officers said.The team also found narcotics, raw materials and equipment used in MD manufacturing, including acetic acid, sodium carbonate, and washing soda, among others, at the unit. “All the chemicals seized from the factory are substances used for making smack and MD,” Tripathi said.Police are trying to trace the absconding accused, map supply chains and financial links, and identify the wider trafficking network. “Our teams are tracking the movement of suspects,” Tripathi said, adding that the police have begun proceedings to seize their properties.
