Manipur Police has busted a drug manufacturing unit and seized over 435 kg of brown sugar from Thoubal district.

Thoubal SP Sarangthem Ibomcha Singh said acting on a tip-off, a police team raided a house in Moijing Awang area on Thursday.

During the raid, the team recovered 16 packets of brown sugar along with other materials used for the manufacturing of the drug.

โ€œWe have seized 435.94 kg of brown sugar along with 438 litres of morphine liquid, 705 grams of lime and a bottle of ammonium chloride,โ€ the SP said.

The police also recovered three LPG cylinders, a motorcycle and an auto-rickshaw during the search operation, Singh said.

The market value of the seized drug could not be ascertained, another police officer said.

โ€œMd. Kayamuddin, the owner of the brown sugar manufacturing unit, and his wife managed to escape from the spot during the raid. A search operation has been launched to apprehend them,โ€ said the official.

The police have intensified its crackdown on illegal activities ahead of the upcoming by-elections to three assembly seats on November 7.