A Mumbai police team raided a factory in Nashik district and seized 35,000 kilogrammes of chloral hydrate used in making "synthetic" toddy, an official said Saturday.
The official said the factory owner, Dilip Jadhav, was arrested in the raid carried out on Friday night, adding that the chemical seized was worth Rs 70 lakh.
Chloral hydrate is a colourless solid with anti- convulsive properties that has use in the manufacture of sedative and hypnotical pharmaceutical drugs.
While natural toddy is prepared from the alcoholic sap of coconut palms, the synthetic variety sees the use of chloral hydrate among other ingredients.
The Nashik operation came on the back of an earlier seizure of two tonnes of chloral hydrate in Mumbai along with the arrest of three persons, an official said.
Inspector Daya Nayak of Khar police station had led a team also comprising Aarey Colony police station personnel and carried out the raids.
"A person identified as Prakash Gopwani, who deals in the chemical, was arrested in this connection in Malad last week. He revealed the location of the chloral hydrate factory in Nashik following which Mumbai police raided it," the official said.
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