Acting on a tip-off, a DCA team and Task Force intercepted cartons falsely declared as “machine parts” from Kashipur, sent via Trackon Couriers to Puvvada Lakshmana in Hyderabad by Amar Pharmaceuticals
Published Jun 06, 2025 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jun 06, 2025 | 7:00 AM
Synopsis: Puvvada Lakshmana, a repeat offender with a history of trafficking psychotropic substances, has once again been caught—this time trying to procure 2.4 lakh Alprazolam tablets via courier. The bust led Telangana authorities to uncover a larger racket involving counterfeit hypertension drugs and unregulated abortion kits, highlighting the persistent shadow of illegal pharmaceuticals in the state
They say crime is easy to leave once you’re caught—but for some, it becomes a way of life. And for Puvvada Lakshmana, that life keeps pulling him back into the shadows of illegality.
In a déjà vu for Telangana’s drug enforcement agencies, a familiar name has once again surfaced at the heart of a illegal drug bust. Puvvada Lakshmana, already known for his murky history of trafficking spurious and psychotropic drugs, was caught red-handed—this time attempting to procure nearly 2.4 lakh tablets of Alprazolam, a tightly regulated psychotropic substance, through a courier delivery service.
But what began as a seizure of mind-altering sedatives soon revealed a deeper rot—more consignments of counterfeit and unlicensed drugs, including medications for hypertension and unregulated abortion kits, were uncovered as the probe deepened.
On 4 June, 2025, acting on credible intelligence inputs about an illegal shipment of habit-forming drugs entering Telangana, a joint operation was launched by the Prohibition & Excise Enforcement Team (Rangareddy Division) and officers of the Drugs Control Administration (DCA), Telangana.
The target: a courier facility of Delhivery Limited, located in Autonagar, Hayathnagar on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Officials kept discreet watch over a suspicious package shipped from Om Sai Services, Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh). When the recipients arrived to collect the consignment, they were swiftly apprehended.
The two accused—Puvvada Lakshmana, a resident of Moosarambagh, Malakpet in Hyderabad, and Munishekhar, hailing from Proddatur, Andhra Pradesh—were immediately arrested at the scene. Both are repeat offenders with multiple pending cases related to the possession and distribution of spurious drugs across Telangana.
The enforcement team recovered two large cardboard boxes containing 1.8 lakh Alprazolam tablets (brand name Alprasfe-0.5), weighing about 27 kilograms and worth over ₹4.32 lakh in market value. Alprazolam, a prescription sedative used for anxiety and panic disorders, is also a commonly abused psychotropic drug whose possession and sale are tightly regulated under the NDPS Act.
During interrogation, the accused confessed to awaiting another parcel from the same courier hub. Based on their statements, a follow-up raid was conducted on June 5, leading to the seizure of another 60,000 Alprazolam tablets, weighing around 9 kg, valued at ₹2.16 lakh. This shipment, too, was meant for the same accused duo.
“Puvvada Lakshmana has been in this illegal business for over 20 years. He neither holds a valid drug license nor does the premises where he stores these medicines. He’s a habitual offender—with around six cases already registered against him for dealing in spurious drugs. In this latest case, he procured around two lakh Alprazolam tablets from Kanpur and attempted to distribute them in Telangana. This falls under the category of narcotics, and he has now been booked under two cases—one for violating the Drugs and Cosmetics Act by stocking and selling medicines without a license, and the second under the NDPS Act for illegal possession of psychotropic substances,” A drug controller official told South First.
He added that he was sourcing tablets like Alprazolam, which are prescription-only drugs meant to be sold in limited quantities—10 to 30 tablets per prescription. Instead, he was selling them in bulk at extremely high prices—buying at ₹30 per strip and selling at ₹500 to ₹1,000.
“These are synthetic drugs. When consumed, they cause hallucinations and drowsiness. Many crimes have been associated with the abuse of these substances. We also suspect he mixed powdered drugs with other carriers to enhance their effects. Earlier he was selling spurious antibiotics, and now he has shifted to these tablets targeting younger populations,” said the official.
But the story didn’t end at the courier hub. In fact, it had only just begun.
Following the dramatic seizure of Alprazolam tablets at the delivery depot, authorities widened their investigation—and it led them straight to the door of Puvvada Lakshmana’s residence in Moosarambagh, Malakpet, Hyderabad. What they found there would deepen the case from a narcotics violation to a dangerous pharmaceutical racket.
Acting on further leads and credible intelligence, the Drugs Control Administration (DCA), Telangana, carried out a raid on June 4, 2025, at Lakshmana’s unlicensed premises. Inside, they discovered a huge cache of suspected spurious drugs, carefully packed and concealed—another dark testament to the illegal pharma underworld quietly thriving in urban neighborhoods.
Four varieties of high-risk medications, valued at over ₹5.21 lakh, were seized. These included critical medicines meant for the treatment of chronic illnesses—antihypertensives and antidiabetics—alongside a combipack abortion kit, all stored without a valid drug license. The suspected spurious drugs seized were:
These drugs were allegedly being sourced and stocked for illegal distribution, with no regulatory oversight, no storage safety, and worst of all, no assurance of authenticity.
DCA officials confirmed that samples from the seized drugs have been sent for laboratory analysis to determine their chemical integrity. “Spurious drugs pose a major threat to public health,” the DCA stated in a statement. “They may not only be ineffective in treating diseases but can also cause long-term harm and complications. Patients unknowingly ingesting these drugs are often put at grave risk.”
“The recent operation began with credible intelligence. Our teams kept a close watch and intercepted the consignment at the courier hub. During follow-up raids, we found large stocks of spurious drugs—antidiabetics, abortion kits, and antihypertensives—at his residence. None of these were legally procured or stored,” said the drug official.
The inspector added that Lakshmana has been using courier services to traffic these drugs across state lines, often concealing the consignments under false declarations. We’ve seen this pattern in previous cases as well—from Kashipur, Ghaziabad, and now Kanpur. The same method, the same intent.
For drug enforcement officials in Telangana, Puvvada Lakshmana is a name that keeps returning like an unwelcome delivery.
Back in December 2023, the Drugs Control Administration (DCA), Telangana, had already identified Lakshmana as a key link in a sophisticated fake drug network, spanning multiple states and shadowy suppliers.
It began with a tip-off about a large consignment of spurious drugs entering Telangana from Kashipur, Uttarakhand. A DCA special team, assisted by the Task Force, sprang into action. The target? Parcels shipped by Amar Pharmaceuticals—declared falsely as “machine parts”—via Trackon Couriers Pvt. Ltd. These cartons, originating in Ramnagar Road, Kashipur, found their way to Puvvada Lakshmana in Hyderabad.
What they contained was alarming: a carefully assembled stock of fake antibiotics, cholesterol, and hypertension medications, all mimicking popular brands. Among the seized items—worth ₹26 lakh—were:
But the most disturbing discovery was a series of drugs labeled as manufactured by a non-existent company—‘Meg Lifesciences’ of Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh—including fake antibiotics like MPOD-200 and MEXCLAV 625. Investigators concluded these were completely counterfeit, posing serious risks to unsuspecting patients.
Barely days after the Kashipur raid, the DCA intercepted another consignment—this time shipped from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, again falsely labeled, and again addressed to none other than Puvvada Lakshmana.
From December 30, 2023, a DCA surveillance team kept a close watch on courier operations at Trackon Couriers, Uppal. They identified five suspicious cartons linked to Lakshmana. On January 3, 2024, the DCA tracked a courier delivery boy, Suresh Kumar, as he attempted to deliver the shipment to an unlicensed godown in Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad.
The raid that followed unearthed a massive haul: 51,000 fake antibiotic tablets labeled as Cefoxim-CV—another drug falsely attributed to the imaginary Meg Lifesciences. The total value of the seized fake medicines: ₹22.95 lakh.
From Kashipur to Ghaziabad, the modus operandi remained unchanged—sourcing large quantities of spurious medicines under fictitious labels, shipping them via established courier companies under fake documentation, and stocking them in secret godowns or residential hideouts in Hyderabad.
“Previously, we had booked him only for spurious antibiotics and hypertension drugs. But since the Drugs Control Administration does not have purview of Law and Order, we could only file court complaints. He used to attend court but would get bail. This time, however, it’s different. Because he’s now involved in a narcotics case, handled by the Excise Department, he’s been remanded. This is the first time he’s likely to face jail time,” said the drug official.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
