Zonked out in Hyderabad

Punjab is not the only state blamed for high consumption of drugs. The latest is the nascent state Telangana. When a police team began an undercover operation posing as prospective customers to nab a few drug dealers in Hyderabad, the cops did not imagine the scale of it. What they learnt was a massive network of peddlers. The events that followed the sting stunned the investigators as several Telugu film personalities, senior executives of MNCs, IT professionals and school and college students were found to be among the clients of the drugs mafia. The city had an ugly underbelly

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The Rs 2,000-crore Telugu film industry, second biggest in the entertainment sector after Bollywood, was shaken by the scandal: the investigators have summoned a dozen persons from the industry, including directors and actors, for questioning. They are accused of having contacts with drug suppliers. Popular actress Charmee Kaur was among those questioned by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Telangana Excise and Prohibition Department.

Since her debut in Telugu film industry in 2002, Charmee has also acted in Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam films. She was summoned because her name allegedly appeared on the clients’ list of the arrested drug peddlers. However, she had approached the Hyderabad High Court challenging the method of SIT interrogation and has got an order that her blood, hair and nail samples should not be collected without her consent. She has refused to provide her samples to the excise authorities and flatly denied having taken drugs or any links with the drug dealers. As per the court’s directive, she was questioned by women officers.

The questioning of the popular producer-director Puri Jagannath created a sensation in the film circles. Jagannath, who made several hit Telugu films like Pokiri, Idiot, Loafer, Boss, Temper, Desamuduru and a couple of big Hindi films like Wanted and Budda Hoga Tera Baap, was the first film personality to be grilled by the authorities for over ten hours for his alleged links with the alleged kingpin of the drug mafia, Calvin Mascarenhas, a B. Tech and hotel management graduate who works for an MNC. He was seen with the director in a few film functions. The SIT has collected Jagannath’s blood, hair and nail samples for medical examination. 

Subbaraju of Baahubali fame, who was also questioned, is said to have provided vital clues about the alleged nexus between Tollywood and drug peddlers. Another famous actor Tarun was also quizzed about consumption of drugs in a city pub that he had started in 2009.

Among those summoned by the investigators are Tollywood heroes Ravi Teja, Navdeep, Nandu, Tanish, dancer Mumaith Khan, cinematographer Shyam K Naidu and art director Chinna. 

The breathless coverage of the scandal by the local TV channels has angered many in the film industry. Producer-director Ram Gopal Varma decried “selective targeting” of the Tollywood personalities. “The excise officials are making it appear as if the film industry is to be blamed for the drug racket,” RGV said in a Facebook post.

Excise director and SIT head Akun Sabharwal has denied targeting any individual or industry. “We are very serious about finding the real culprits. Each person will be questioned as per the provisions of the law,” he has said.

“In an industry that employs over 30,000 people, a handful of people may be using drugs. It is our duty to get them out of the system. Unfortunately, the whole thing has become sensational," says D Suresh Babu, noted producer and father of Rana Daggubati of Baahubali fame. The Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce and Movie Artists Association have urged Chief Ministter K Chandrasekhar Rao to ensure an impartial probe into the drug racket without harassing their members. 

“The drugs case is a sensitive matter and is being handled as per the guidelines of the Supreme Court. An impartial investigation is on,” Sabharwal said.

Schoolchildren trapped

The police and investigators say the drug mafia lured students, as young as 13 years, from several reputed schools in the city. The crackdown led to the arrest of 20 peddlers who made shocking revelations about their client list and their modus operandi. The students from 25 top-ranking schools and 20 colleges and children of several VIPs, including bureaucrats and police officers were found to be among the addicts who were regularly getting psychedelic drugs from the dealers.

The dealers allegedly supplied LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), MDMA (methylene dioxy methamphetamine), referred to as ‘Ecstasy’, and other drugs.

A preliminary investigation of the contact list on the phones, confiscated from the peddlers, has revealed that they serviced nearly 1,000 clients in Hyderabad alone, including schoolchildren, film stars, senior executives working for MNCs and other celebrities. Typically, all the orders are placed online through WhatsApp groups.

“It is the scale and size of the involvement of schoolchildren that is worrying,” Sabharwal said.

No easy way out

It is a sad commentary on the ecosystem that the students live in. The teachers need to be taught how to look out for symptoms,” says Rahul Luther who runs Hope Trust, an NGO that runs a de-addiction center.

“Every school needs a counselor and the staff needs to be sensitized. It is also important for schools to focus on the all-round development of every child, engage them in games, debates instead of only academic pursuit in dimly lit classrooms,” he says.

The number of minors among the list of clients has shocked the investigators. After the arrest of the peddlers, the Excise Department sent notices to 20 prominent schools in the city, informing them that some of their students were indulging in substance abuse. Sabharwal has asked the schools to look out for deviant behaviour and check on easy availability of cash and credit cards with students. 

“There will be no legal action against the minors. But, the schools should sensitize the teachers and students about substance abuse and take it up as a campaign. Since our investigation has found that the delivery by peddlers most often happens in the vicinity of a school, areas around schools, especially shops, should be monitored as well,” Sabharwal said.

The officials have also counseled at least 30 students and their parents. A helpline has also been set up. “We have been receiving several calls, mostly from minors, giving us information about the identities and whereabouts of peddlers. Based on tip-offs by some students to the helpline, we have made some arrests,” the police said.

How they operated

The modus operandi is to be part of a WhatsApp group that would consist of six-seven friends and a peddler. The orders would be placed on the app and payments made virtually. The consignment would be delivered at a public place, which in most instances, would be near a school or a shopping mall, within half an hour. In one instance, a school girl sent her nude picture to a peddler, requesting him for an LSD dot in exchange.

The peddlers were found to be using dark web, a network of clandestine websites, to procure banned substances.

“We have seized over 800 blots of LSD and 35 gm of MDMA. The drugs were imported from Chicago,” Sabharwal said. A dot or square of LSD costs Rs 3,000 while a gram of MDMA costs up to Rs 6,000.

Notice to schools 

The number of minors on the list of clients has shocked the investigators. After the arrest of the peddlers, the Excise Department sent notices to 20 prominent schools in the city, informing them that some of their students were involved in substance abuse.

Helpline for students 

Civic and police officers have counselled at least 30 students and their parents. A helpline has also been set up. “We have been receiving several calls, mostly from minors, giving us information about the identities and whereabouts of peddlers. Based on tip-offs by some students to the helpline, we have made some arrests,” the police said.