The Bengaluru zone Narcotics Control Bureau has seized amphetamine drug worth Rs 9 crore from a rented house of a IAF officer in Secunderabad who was arrested recently in a major drug bust. The IAF wing commander was a part of a drug ring headed by a Bengaluru-based scientist and his wife.

Venkat Rama Rao, a research scientist in the chemical industry in Bengaluru and his wife Preethi, who allegedly manufactured the drug were earlier arrested. The police had seized 231 kg of drug worth Rs 45 crore from them.

Another alleged member of the ring, an Indian Air Force Wing Commander with the Information Technology Wing in Delhi, Rajasekhar Reddy, was also arrested for then.

In October, the officials of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raided the premises of the factory in Hyderabad's Bolaram area where the drug was being manufactured.

Following the bust, the NCB had conducted raids in Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, and uncovered the major drug-ring. 

The materials recovered has been produced before the sessions court at LB Nagar, Hyderabad on Thursday.

The Deccan Chronicle quoted NCB officials saying:

“We busted a clandestine drugs manufacturing and processing lab in Vidyapura, Saineekpuri of Secunderabad and seized 9.1 kg of amphetamine. The lab was being run in a house that was taken on rent by Rajashekar Reddy. We suspect that the lab was being used to further process, manufacture and test the contraband drug.”

NCB is still investigating whether any others were involved in the racket and if the accused had any other labs for the manufacturing in any other parts of the country.