Bathinda: Punjab Police have uncovered and sealed an illegally run pharmaceutical unit in Bathinda, recovering close to 3.5 lakh tablets suspected to be habit-forming drugs commonly abused by addicts, officials said on Monday.
The action followed an ongoing investigation by Muktsar police into a narcotics case registered late last year. Muktsar Senior Superintendent of Police Abhimanyu Rana said the case originated from an FIR lodged on November 26 at Killianwali police station under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Initially, police arrested two brothers, Manish Kumar and Sahil Kumar, residents of Mandi Killianwali, after recovering Etizolam tablets, Pregabalin capsules, and ₹7.26 lakh in cash believed to be proceeds from drug sales. During questioning, the duo allegedly disclosed the involvement of their brother, Krishan Kumar, and a Haryana-based medical store owner, Vansh Kawatra, from Mandi Dabwali.
Both men were arrested on January 4. The following day, police seized an additional consignment of 30,000 Tapentadol tablets, prompting investigators to dig deeper into the supply network. This eventually led them to an industrial unit located on Mansa Road in Bathinda.
A raid at the premises revealed what police described as clear signs of unauthorized drug manufacturing. Officers recovered a large stockpile of tablets, raw materials, and other evidence indicating the illegal production of scheduled pharmaceutical drugs. The owner of the facility was unable to produce any valid licence or documentation permitting the manufacture of such medicines, SSP Rana said.
Authorities sealed the unit at the site and seized 1,85,000 loose tablets along with 42,350 Zentadol tablets and 1,22,400 Tanedol tablets. Nearly 10 kilograms of suspected raw material used in producing the drugs was also confiscated.
Police officials said further investigation is underway to identify additional links in the supply chain and determine how widely the drugs were being distributed.
