Hyd drug racket: SIT to question film personalities under lens

The SIT of the Telangana Excise department will start questionning some Tollywood personalities from tomorrow as a part of the probe into the illicit drug trade, days after it busted a racket selling high-end narcotics in the city.
The department had last week issued notices under section 67 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, to 12 Tollywood personalities, including actors, directors and producers, asking them to appear before it from July 19 onwards. The department wants to quiz them on their alleged links, if any, with the arrested drug peddlers, a senior official said today.
"11 out of the 12 personalities have acknowledged to the notices while one actress is yet to respond to the notice. She will be served the notice again," the official told PTI.

He said names of some Tollywood personalities came out during the interrogation of the arrested accused.
"The focus of the investigation will be on whether they (to whom the notices were issued to) were drug users, peddlers or suppliers," he said.
Among the 13 persons arrested so far since the racket was exposed on July 2, is a US citizen, identified as Dundu Anish, a former aerospace engineer who had worked with the NASA, besides seven B.Tech graduates, most of whom working with MNCs here.

The racketeers used to sell high-end drugs such as LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) and MDMA (methylenedioxy- methamphetamine).

LSD, sold as tablets and liquid, is known to be one of the most potent mood-changing chemicals, while MDMA, commonly referred to as 'molly' or 'ecstasy', is a popular recreational or party drug.
The investigators had said the gang catered to nearly 1,000 customers, including students of city-based schools and colleges, a film producer, senior officials of MNCs, besides some employees of IT firms in Cyberabad.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday directed the police and excise officials to intensify the investigation into the case without the fear of any political interference.
He had asked the officials to spare none, even if that person is a politician or a Cabinet minister.