Jodhpur/Jaipur: A brief gunfight ensued in Balesar town of Jodhpur district Sunday as Rajasthan Police’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) stormed a secluded building under construction and busted an illicit mephedrone (MD) manufacturing unit. ANTF sleuths arrested six persons and seized over 170 kg of precursor substances during the raid. IG, ANTF, Vikas Kumar told TOI that nearly 15 rounds were fired before the team managed to overpower the suspects. No ANTF personnel were injured in the action.The six accused have been identified as Hapu Ram, Budhram, Naresh, Narendra, Ajaaram and Shravan.Kumar said Hapu Ram was the kingpin of the operation, who rented the building on agricultural land for Rs 2.5 lakhs per month to exploit its isolation and the several vantage points the site offered.Acting on intelligence developed over a month, ANTF teams swooped in and surrounded the structure from all sides. As officers closed in, the accused opened fire and attempted to break out, triggering an exchange of gunfire. “We arrested the six accused, two of whom were injured while trying to flee,” Kumar said. Inside, the team found a large quantity of precursor substances in the final stages of production. “The drug was one step short of completion and had been left to dry,” Kumar said. Officials indicated that the total seizure could rise as teams continued to comb the facility late into Sunday even as officials of the Narcotics Control Bureau were called to the scene.Kumar said the racket scaled up production after prices surged due to a supply squeeze, shifting from its initial 5-10 kg batches to bulk production. The accused were reportedly planning to sell the MD at around Rs 30 lakh per kg. “We are tracking down other suspects involved in the racket and the investigation remains ongoing,” Kumar added.
