Hyderabad drug kingpin Vijay Voleti and others remanded to judicial custody
Hyderabad: The mastermind Vijay Voleti, his associate Tanaji Pandharinath Patwari, and others who were arrested by the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) Police Crime Branch were sent to 15 days of judicial custody by the Maharashtra local court on Tuesday. The crime branch, during their raid against a sophisticated drug manufacturing unit in Hyderabad’s Cherlapally Industrial area, arrested 12 members, including the above two.
Investigation into Vijay Voleti’s illegal activities revealed that Voleti manufactured Mephedrone, commonly known as ‘Meow-Meow’, ‘M-Cat’, and ‘White Magic’, a synthetic stimulant popular among youth for recreational use. He operated with the assistance of another dealer, Feroz, leveraging a network of chemical factories and a software company as fronts, all operating without the required licenses, as revealed by the investigation.
In fact, on August 8, 2025, a police team from the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) Police Crime Branch found 105 grams of the narcotic substance MD (Mephedrone) in the possession of a woman named Fatima Murad Shaikh alias Molla, aged 23, residing in Mira Road East, on a public road near the Axis Bank ATM at Kashimira bus stop. Thus, a case was filed against her on August 8, 2025.
Simultaneously, her interrogation revealed that the narcotics were sourced from Telangana, prompting an extensive covert investigation. Following this, the Maharashtra Police chalked out a plan and infiltrated the gang. As per their plan, some of the policemen joined the factory as daily wage labourers to snoop on the drug operation. For days, the officers gathered irrefutable evidence, confirming the illicit manufacturing of narcotics on an industrial scale. The intelligence was then passed to higher officials, leading to a massive coordinated raid.
Hyderabad’s Cherlapally Industrial Area drug lab busted
Based on the inputs gathered, the Maharashtra police busted a massive, sophisticated drug manufacturing unit in Hyderabad’s Cherlapally Industrial area. On September 5, a police team raided the premises at Survey No. 186/1, Navodaya Colony, and arrested the alleged masterminds, Srinivas Vijay Voleti and his associate Tanaji Pandharinath Patwari. The seizure was monumental, with 5,790 grams of finished MD drug, 35,500 litres of chemicals, 950 kg of drug powder, and extensive manufacturing equipment. The drugs were allegedly supplied to networks in Hyderabad, Mumbai, and beyond. Subsequently, they have also seized raw materials worth an estimated Rs 12,000 crores, exposing a pan-India narcotics syndicate.
The investigation reveals a well-oiled empire. Voleti, along with associates like Feroz, allegedly ran the operation for a decade, maintaining links with the Mumbai underworld. The syndicate used a network of chemical factories and even a software company as a front, operating without the required licences.
So far, 12 people have been arrested, including 1 Bangladeshi national. Three four-wheelers, one two-wheeler, 27 mobile phones, and over Rs 2.23 crore in cash have been seized. All the accused are being produced in the Mumbai court after being shifted to Maharashtra on a transit warrant. Further all the accused were produced before the Maharashtra local court. Following which they were sent to judicial custody for 15 days.
