As Anand Police seized 300 kg of banned chemical intoxicant Chloral Hydrate worth Rs 3 lakh, it has emerged that the illegal consignment passed right under the nose of authorities in Ahmedabad.
Used as a cheap substitute for drugs and liquor, this cache of Chloral Hydrate is the largest to be seized in Gujarat. The last major consignment of the chemical seized in the state was 226.850 kg, in Vidyanagar, on September 8, 2023.
The 300 kg of the powder could produce 3 tonnes of chemical toddy, which is mostly used in Central Gujarat. The lethal yellow powder, manufactured in Andhra Pradesh was trafficked through Maharashtra and was couriered to Ahmedabad from Bhiwandi in Thane. Officials said the consignment was sent to Ahmedabad in 10 sacks via truck through a transport company located in Narol.
The contraband was being transported from Ahmedabad to Petlad taluka of Anand in an auto-rickshaw.
The elusive mastermind of the entire racket has been identified as Surya aka Suryo, a resident of Nalgonda in Andhra Pradesh.
Officials said this is the first time that a full consignment was caught before it could be distributed to local peddlers and turned into ‘liquor’ sold at Rs 20 per litre.
Police arrested Daksha Ramesh Talpadani, 48, who was transporting the chemical by rickshaw. Talpadani has nine similar offences and has previously been booked six times for violation of the Gujarat Prohibition Act.
Used as a sedative till about 40 years ago, Chloral Hydrate was banned for medical use in 1991. It is one of 444 substances that have been banned in India for sale and manufacture under section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, according to a 2017 list.
