In mid-August, along the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway, an agricultural labourer in C.K. Tandya village in South Bengaluru district (formerly known as Ramanagara) noticed something unusual on a strip of farmland: a heap of medical waste.

This wasn’t the first time that the villagers in South Bengaluru had noticed suspicious objects or activity around the area which contained a farmhouse, say the police. They had seen men frequently moving in and out of it on a scooter without a number plate. They had also seen courier and e-commerce delivery vehicles making regular trips to the secluded location.