The school, which runs classes from first to tenth standard and has around 110 enrolled students, served as a perfect cover for the clandestine operation.
Published Sep 14, 2025 | 11:05 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 14, 2025 | 11:05 AM
The EAGLE team confiscated raw materials, manufacturing equipment, including chemical drums, a stove, and a small reactor
Synopsis: The Telangana Anti-Narcotics Wing’s Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement busted a major drug manufacturing racket being operated inside a school premises in Old Bowenpally in Secunderabad. It has arrested three people, including the school owner.
The Telangana Anti-Narcotics Wing’s Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE) on Saturday, 13 September, busted a major drug manufacturing racket being operated inside a school premises in Old Bowenpally in Secunderabad. It has arrested three people, including the school owner.
The prime accused, Malela Jaya Prakash Goud (39), owner of Medha School and a native of Mahbubnagar district, had been secretly running the illegal alprazolam — an anxiety drug — manufacturing unit in the rear portion of his educational institution for the past nine months.
The school, which runs classes from first to tenth standard and has around 110 enrolled students, served as a perfect cover for the clandestine operation.
During the raid, EAGLE officers seized a total of 7.8 kg of alprazolam, including 3.4-3.5 kg of the finished narcotic and 4.3 kg in semi-finished form, along with ₹21 lakh in cash believed to be proceeds from just two days of sales.
The team also confiscated raw materials, manufacturing equipment, including chemical drums, a stove, and a small reactor capable of producing up to five kg of alprazolam in a single run.
The other two arrested individuals have been identified as Pentamol Uday Sai (23), a driver, and Goute Murali Sai (23), who worked as a courier and transporter for the operation.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Goud learned the drug manufacturing procedure from one Guruvareddy through an associate named Shekar approximately a year ago, paying ₹2 lakh for the formula. Having previously operated a toddy shop in Mahbubnagar, Goud had established connections with toddy depot owners in villages around Boothpur and other areas in Mahbubnagar district.
“The accused deliberately ran the school to mislead locals and authorities, continuing drug production even during class hours,” said an EAGLE official.
“While the cellar housed classrooms and the ground floor accommodated a bank with part of the first floor used for teaching, the rear portion controlled by Goud was converted into a sophisticated drug laboratory.”
The alprazolam produced at the facility was primarily supplied to toddy shops where it was mixed with the local brew, creating a parallel distribution network. Goud employed couriers to deliver consignments and sometimes transported the drugs himself to avoid detection.
The illegal operation came to light when authorities intercepted one of the couriers carrying a consignment. Under interrogation, the courier revealed the location of the manufacturing unit, leading to Saturday’s successful raid.
EAGLE officials confirmed this is the first recorded offence involving Jaya Prakash Goud. Investigators are now working to establish the complete duration of the operation and identify other persons or networks that may have been involved in the racket.
The police are currently tracking the source of chemical precursors used in the illicit production, with several companies operating under business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) models now under EAGLE’s scanner for their possible role in supplying raw materials.
Investigations are continuing to trace others linked to the extensive drug manufacturing and distribution network.
#Telangana‘s Anti-Narcotics Wing EAGLE busted a drug manufacturing racket at Medha School in Secunderabad, arresting school owner Malela Jaya Prakash Goud (39) and two accomplices.
Goud secretly operated an alprazolam production unit behind his school for nine months, using 110… pic.twitter.com/yvgJMjFQ2w
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) September 14, 2025
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Sumit Jha.)
