- Submit Tollywood stars mobile phones
- ED files petition in High Court
- Earlier Excise Department seized 12 mobiles from stars
- 2017 case is back again, but will it be settled or is it only a political stunt?
Hyderabad: ED has filed a petition in Excise Enforcement Court seeking to handover the mobile phones of Tollywood stars which were seized by Excise department during interrogation of drugs case in 2017. On April 8th, 2022, High Court directed Telangana Government’s Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and Prohibition and Excise Director Sarfaraz Ahmed to give ED all data pertaining to drugs case. But as there was no reply from them, ED approached Excise Court to handover mobile phones for future investigation.
A PIL was filed by TPCC Chief Revanth Reddy in 2017 when he was a TDP MLA seeking CBI probe into the investigation of drugs case in which Tollywood actors and other high profile persons are involved. The case had shocked and rocked Hyderabad after the people came to know that leading film personalities were involved in drug rocket in 2017. It was made more horrified when drug suppliers revealed that they supplied drugs to students of high-end-schools and colleges. This case was pushed aside by State govt. and there were speculations that it was done to protect Tollywood bigwigs and influential persons involved. Later the Case was brought into limelight by ‘Forum for Good Governance’
Minsiter KTR’s name dragged
The Tollywood drugs case took a political turn as an issue of contention between ruling party TRS and Congress. Minister KTR was targeted by Congress leaders in this issue and AICC Member Bukka Judson joined the chorus after TPCC Chief Revanth Reddy made the same allegation against KTR. Judson said political leaders were involved in the drugs case. He said he had complained to the authorities about the matter.
“Incidents like Disha Case, Saidabad Singareni Colony rape and murder case took place under the influence of alcohol and cannabis. The whole authorities will soon inquire into our complaint. The drugs case would have come to conclusion in 2017 itself. KTR was influencing the case at the time. We have also attached some evidence in our complaint that KTR has links with movie heroines. Why does KTR need to go to Goa secretly? Was it an official trip or a private one? KTR has good relations with Tollywood actors involved in the drugs case. It is known that the excise case has been closed. Just as celebrities should be prosecuted, so should politicians be prosecuted,” Judson said
Court Approves Charge sheet
The Excise Department has given clean chit to 11 film celebrities in the drug case in 2021. The High Court approved the charge sheet filed by SIT which was in 2017. On July 2nd, 2017, the Excise Department registered 12 cases in the drug case and arrested 30 persons and interrogated 27 personalities as per charge sheet. Out of the 12 cases, charge sheet was filed only on the first 8 cases in which excise police have questioned Hero Ravi Teja’s driver Srinivasan along with other 11 celebrities.
Enforcement Directorate officials interrogated actor Tanish for eight hours on money laundering, FEMA and on law violation. Links to Calvin, party at F Club, Bank Transactions, Tanish’s presence at a party at F Club Lounge, all was questioned by ED sleuths on Friday.
Earlier ED Grilled Tollywood stars
ED officials interrogated Tollywood Stars Tanish, Director Puri Jagannadh, Charmi, Rakul Preeth, Nandu, Rana Daggubati in this regard. They have been pestered with questions on their bank transactions and involvement in money laundering, FEMA and on Law violation. Calvin, who became an approver in the case, inquired about the diversion of money into the bank accounts of his friend, event manager Zeeshan Ali. And the whole trial in the Tollywood drugs case has escalated and took aggressive dimensions.
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