Hyderabad: Keesari Matsyagiri, known to investigators as the ‘Batasingaram Alchemist’, represents the emerging profile of the science-educated clandestine chemist. A Bachelor of Science graduate in Applied Nutrition, Zoology and Chemistry who once worked in legitimate chemical industries, he allegedly crossed over to the illegal manufacture of mephedrone after coming into contact with Gujarat-based drug manufacturers.Case documents of the Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE) Force, Hyderabad, accessed by TOI, reveal that his stay in Charlapally jail strengthened his links with the drug network before he allegedly set up a laboratory inside a mango farm at Batasingaram. Equipped with professional chemistry apparatus and industrial chemicals, the facility resembled a ‘Breaking Bad’-style operation, reflecting the growing role of technically trained chemists in Telangana’s synthetic drug trade.He was arrested in June 2026 by the Hyderabad narcotics police station of the EAGLE Force, Telangana.Matsyagiri, 38, a resident of Tirumala Hills in Thirumalagiri, Suryapet district, completed his degree at SLNS Degree and Postgraduate College, Bhongir, in 2009. He subsequently worked as a chemist in several chemical industries, including Sri Sai Chemicals at Bacharam village in Abdullapurmet.A laboratory job opens the door to mephedroneAccording to the police, Matsyagiri’s entry into the illegal drug trade began in 2015 while he was employed at Sri Sai Chemicals. Two men from Gujarat, identified as Vijay and Santosh Singh, allegedly hired a laboratory unit at his workplace to manufacture mephedrone.Police said Matsyagiri, who had the technical knowledge required for chemical production, allegedly joined them in search of higher earnings. It was during this period, between 2015 and 2016, that he is suspected to have learnt the process of manufacturing mephedrone.Vijay and Santosh were caught by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in Madhya Pradesh in 2016. Investigators allege that Matsyagiri later developed links with others involved in setting up illegal drug-manufacturing units in different parts of the country. Police have described him as having a criminal history spanning more than a decade and links with a gang involved in mephedrone production.The case took a more serious turn in 2017 when Matsyagiri, Vijay and Santosh were arrested in connection with the murder of Chandra Shekar, whom they allegedly suspected of being a police informant. The murder case was registered under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.Matsyagiri spent about three months in Charlapally jail in connection with the case. Investigators suspect that his incarceration helped him build further contacts within the drug-manufacturing network. Police records have also linked the murder case to drug syndicates operating through associates from Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.Boduppal unit and earlier DRI arrestPolice said Matsyagiri returned to clandestine drug production and allegedly established a mephedrone laboratory at Boduppal in Dec 2023. He was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Hyderabad, on Dec 21, 2023.He had also previously been booked in narcotics cases, including one in which an illegal laboratory in Hyderabad was raided and a large quantity of mephedrone was seized, according to case records. A preventive detention order was issued against him under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.Despite the earlier cases, investigators allege that Matsyagiri resumed efforts to manufacture mephedrone after coming into contact with Nimmala Naresh, described in the First Information Report (FIR) as a loan commission agent.Around four months before their arrest in June 2026, Matsyagiri allegedly proposed that the two enter into a partnership to manufacture the synthetic drug. They rented a tin shed inside a mango farm on Batasingaram Road in Rangareddy district.To avoid suspicion, the two allegedly told the farm watchman that they would manufacture ‘facial glow powder’ in the shed.Professional apparatus inside mango farmThe unit was equipped with apparatus generally associated with chemical production, including four-necked round-bottom flasks, heating mantles, voltage stabilisers, stirring motor stands and vacuum pumps.Police said industrial chemicals such as toluene, bromine and acetone were procured for the manufacturing process. According to sources, the chemicals and apparatus were allegedly supplied through a man identified as Prabhakar, who is absconding.About a month before the arrest, Matsyagiri allegedly purchased the chemicals and laboratory equipment and manufactured approximately 750 gram of mephedrone at the Batasingaram unit. Investigators are examining the source of the chemicals and the network through which the finished drug was to be distributed.At 8.30 pm on June 10, 2026, police received information that Matsyagiri was transporting mephedrone for delivery. Officers intercepted a white Hyundai i20 near the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority weighbridge close to the Shivaji Maharaj statue on Batasingaram Road on June 11.Matsyagiri and Naresh were taken into custody while allegedly transporting 795 gram of mephedrone to Suryapet for delivery to customers.The investigation is now focused on the chemical supply chain, the intended recipients in Suryapet, and the wider manufacturing network allegedly associated with Matsyagiri.
