Indore police’s ₹2-cr ‘MD drug’ haul found to be urea:Officials seek CFSL test after in-house lab exposes major blunder; court orders deeper investigation

A major twist has emerged in the Indore “MD drug” case. The powder seized by police earlier this year has turned out to be urea, not a narcotic substance. This was confirmed after forensic tests. The report was submitted in court, leaving the police department stunned. Now, a decision is being made to hand over the case to a central investigation agency. Case that shocked Indore police The incident had caused a stir in the Indore Police Department. After the so-called MD drug seizure, many officers from the Crime Branch and local police stations came under suspicion. Some officers were even removed from their posts and attached to the reserve lines. However, after the lab report revealed that the seized substance was not an MD drug but a urea-based chemical, the entire case lost momentum. How the case began The incident is linked to an operation led by former IPS officer Karan Singh in the Azad Nagar area. The Tejaji Nagar Police Station carried out the raid. On 26 February 2025, Sub-Inspector Manoj Dubey and a team of officers — including Head Constables Devendra Parihar and Abhinav Sharma, and Constables Govinda and Dipendra Rana — received a wireless message about suspicious activity near Kasturba Gram on AB Road Bypass. They found two men sitting on a bike by the roadside. Seeing the police, both tried to escape but were quickly caught. They identified themselves as Vijay from Mandsaur and Mohammad Shahnawaz from Azad Nagar. Police claimed seizure of ‘MD Drug’ worth ₹2 cr During a search, police found a powdery substance in Shahnawaz’s pocket. A seizure memo (panchnama) was made, stating that 198 grams of illegal MD drug (Mephedrone) worth Rs 2 crore had been recovered. Both men were arrested under Section 8/22 of the NDPS Act. Based on Shahnawaz’s statement, the name of Lakhan Gupta, a Court Munshi at Azad Nagar Police Station, also came up in the case. Police said the seized quantity was a commercial amount, as it exceeded 50 grams. Forensic report exposes the truth When the seized substance was sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Bhopal, the report showed that it did not contain Mephedrone or any narcotic drug. Instead, it contained Potassium Nitrate — a chemical commonly found in fertilisers, firecrackers, rockets, and even toothpaste. This finding shocked the entire police department. Re-test ordered from Central FSL After receiving the Bhopal FSL report, police officials did not fully trust the results and sought the court’s permission to send the sample to the Central FSL in Hyderabad for re-testing. The District Court of Indore approved this request and made several observations about the investigation. Notably, the Bhopal FSL report had already been received in June 2025, but action was delayed. Officers under the scanner After the report, several officers from Vijaynagar Police Station’s intelligence unit came under investigation. The names of Crime Branch officers, including Pramod Tomar, also surfaced. They were removed from active duty. However, the Vijaynagar police officers continued at their posts until the internal inquiry concluded. Recently, ACP Aditya Patole found them not guilty. But with the new findings from the Tejaji Nagar case, fresh questions are being raised about the conduct of senior officers and the overall investigation process. What lies ahead With the discovery that the “MD drug” was actually urea, the credibility of the police operation has come under scrutiny. Officials are now considering handing the case over to a central agency for a more transparent and independent probe. The case that once appeared to be a major drug bust has now turned into an embarrassing lapse for the Indore Police.