Police raid ‘Kallapi’ powder manufacturing units amid rising suicide cases across Kadapa district
The Kadapa police conducted joint raids on several ‘kallapi’ powder manufacturing units on Tuesday and seized the products meant for sale. The action was reportedly
The Kadapa police conducted joint raids on several ‘kallapi’ powder manufacturing units on Tuesday and seized the products meant for sale. The action was reportedly triggered by the alarming rise in the instances of suicide in the recent times in the district due to the consumption of Kallapi powder, a cheaper alternative to cow dung mixed water, which is used by women to sprinkle at the portico of houses.
Surprisingly, five such factories located in Proddatur were allegedly functioning under the guise of producing turmeric and kumkum powder, the police said. Under the directions of Superintendent of Police (SP) Nachiket Vishwanath Shelke, a joint team comprising Proddatur Tahsildar D. Uday Bhaskar Raju, APPCB Environmental Engineer Sudha Kuruba, Deputy Chief Inspector of Factories (Kadapa) P. Chinna Rao, Assistant District Fire Officer (Proddatur) P.
Basivi Reddy, Vigilance and Enforcement Inspector P. Srinivasa Reddy and Agricultural Officer (V&E) G. Lakshman Kumar raided the factories and sealed them. According to the police, a total of 19 persons allegedly ended their lives in Kadapa district between January 1, 2025, and July 6, 2026, after consuming Kallapi powder. Nachiket Shelke appealed to the public not to use this hazardous chemical as an alternative for cow dung, as it contains a hazardous substance ‘Auramine O’ having carcinogenic property, which could prove fatal if inadvertently consumed.
He also urged the people to alert the department if they came across any such units manufacturing the product.
The BriefWire