New Delhi: The top actors Rakul Preet Singh, Rana Daggubati and 10 other actors will be questioned in the four-year-old drug case. Sources said the Enforcement Directorate has summoned Rakul Preet Singh on September 6, Baahubali actor Rana Daggubati on September 8, Telugu actor Ravi Teja on September 9 and director Puri Jagannath on September 31.
Rakul Preet Singh, Rana Daggubati, Ravi Teja or Puri Jagannath have not been made accused. "It is too early to say whether they are involved in money laundering," senior agency officials said.
In 2017, the Telangana Excise and Prohibition Department had registered 12 cases after drugs worth ₹30 lakh were seized. Chargesheet has been filed in 11 cases. Later the Enforcement Directorate started investigation from the angle of money laundering in the cases of the Excise Department.
The Telangana Excise Department has so far arrested 30 people in the drugs case and questioned 62 others. Eleven of those questioned are related to the film industry.
In the last few years, several cases of drug smuggling have come to light in Hyderabad.
The largest consignment was seized in July 2017. Large quantities of LSD and cocaine were seized from at least 13 people in raids in 2017.
The Excise Department said that most of the school and college students are involved in using drugs. At least 26 schools and 27 colleges and parents were also informed.
Those arrested are said to be major suppliers of banned drugs to pubs, educational institutions and rave parties in Goa and Hyderabad, which also have links to Pune, Mumbai and Delhi. Officials said the dealers are well-educated and some of them are working in top companies. Six of those arrested are engineering graduates.