Actor Rana Daggubati appears before Enforcement Directorate in drugs case

Hyderabad, September 7

Telugu actor Rana Daggubati appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here on Wednesday after being summoned as part of the ongoing money laundering probe in connection with a high-end drugs racket busted in the city in 2017.

The ‘Baahubali’ star is among the over 10 Tollywood (Telugu film industry) personalities, including actors and directors, to be summoned by the ED.

Since August 31 this year, noted filmmaker Puri Jagannadh, actresses Charmee Kaur and Rakul Preet Singh, and actor Nandu have appeared before the central agency.

On July 2, 2017, Telangana’s Prohibition and Excise department had busted a drug racket by arresting a three-member gang, including Calvin Mascrenhas, a musician, for allegedly peddling narcotic drugs such as LSD and MDMA.

Subsequently, several cases related to drug trafficking were registered and over 20 people were arrested.

According to officials, the gang’s clientele included nearly 1,000 customers, including students of city-based schools and colleges, people associated with Tollywood, senior officials of MNCs and employees of IT firms in Cyberabad.

The names of some Tollywood personalities surfaced during the interrogation of persons arrested in connection with the drug bust. PTI