Telangana: School Making Drugs Shut

Hyderabad: The school education department on Sunday revoked all permissions, recognition, and affiliation granted to Medha High School in Bowenpally, after the EAGLE police on Saturday found that it was being used to produce alprazolam, a relaxant that is misused in the manufacture of toddy. Officials have given notice to the approximately 130 students enrolled at the school, urging that they be transferred to other nearby schools so that their education is not disrupted.

Harish Chandra, mandal education officer of Balanagar, issued the directive to cancel the school’s license. The classrooms and remaining functional parts of the school building will no longer be used for teaching, and the entire school is moving toward permanent closure, pending formal inspection by higher-education authorities.

The EAGLE (Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement) squad had arrested three persons including school director Malela Jaya Prakash Goud (39), along with P. Uday Sai (23), a driver, and G. Murali Sai (23), a transporter. Authorities seized 3.5 kg of finished alprazolam, 4.3 kg of semi-finished tablets, large quantities of raw materials and equipment used for drug production. Also recovered was ₹21 lakh in cash, believed to be proceeds from two days of illicit sales.

Investigators say the school was being used as a front: multiple rooms including a chemistry lab and cellar were converted into production units with reactors and dryers, while classes continued in other parts of the building. The alleged scheme included distributing the drug to toddy depots in Boothpur and neighbouring villages in Mahbubnagar district. It is claimed that the school director paid ₹2 lakh for the manufacturing formula. The manufacturing operation had reportedly been active for about a year.

The incident has raised questions about regulatory oversight, the approval process for schools, and the possibility that permissions were granted without adequate checks. Education department officials are now reviewing whether Medha High School ever met legal standards for recognition and affiliation.