Liquids, raw materials found at Hebbal factory as night-long searches by NCB sleuths continue

Mysore/Mysuru: Known as Karnataka’s cultural capital and a major tourist destination, Mysuru has in recent times been grappling with a rise in crime. The city is now also facing the unsettling tag of being linked to narcotics manufacturing.

In July 2025, Maharashtra Police had busted an MDMA manufacturing unit operating from a shed near Belavatta on Outer Ring Road (ORR), seizing Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MD) valued at over Rs. 390 crore.

Against this backdrop, fresh intelligence inputs suggested that narcotics were being manufactured at a chemicals factory in Hebbal Industrial Area. Acting on the information, a team of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) from New Delhi raided the unit yesterday.

The raid was carried out at ‘Tuk-Tuk Household Chemicals Production Solution Manufacturing,’ a unit officially engaged in producing household cleaning products. NCB questioned the suspects and examined materials.

Sources told Star of Mysore that NCB sleuths have camped in Mysuru and that searches continued late into the night and this morning also. During the inspection, officials reportedly found a large quantity of liquids, raw materials and equipment at the factory premises.

However, the composition of liquid and the intended use of the raw materials have not been disclosed to the media.

Suspect arrested in Gujarat

During inspection, NCB officials examined empty bottles, caustic soda and other materials. Sources said that a suspect earlier arrested in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, in a drug-related case, was found to have been operating the Hebbal factory, run by one Ganpath Lal, a resident of Alanahalli. The accused is said to be a close relative of Lal.

Based on these inputs, the NCB team inspected the factory and simultaneously searched Lal’s residence at Alanahalli. Officials verified the nature of chemicals stored at the unit, their quantities and if any of them had narcotic components. The findings were periodically shared with senior NCB officials.

No coordination with Cops

There was, however, some confusion over coordination with City Police. While sources said NCB did not inform Mysuru Police before raid, City Top Cop Seema Latkar claimed they had been informed, though details reportedly reached the City Police only by afternoon, while raids began in the morning.

However, local officers were initially left in the dark about which agency was conducting the operation and the location.

This led to a flurry of activity in Hebbal Industrial Area, where Inspectors, Sub-Inspectors and personnel from Vijayanagar, Hebbal, Metagalli and NR Police Stations fanned out and inspected chemical units.

Teams from Special Branch, City Intelligence and State Intelligence Department also joined in combing the industrial zone.

Clear information about the raid reached the Mysuru Police only in the afternoon. Later in the day, Seema Latkar and DCP (Crime and Traffic) K.S. Sundar Raj visited the spot and gathered details from NCB officials.