ED summons Rakul Preet, Rana Daggubati & others in drugs case

Actors Rakul Preet Singh, Rana Daggubati and 10 others will be questioned in a four-year-old drugs case, sources have 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 Jagannadh on September 31. Rakul Preet Singh, Rana Daggubati, Ravi Teja or Puri Jagannath have not been named as accused.  "It is premature to say whether they are involved in money laundering," said senior officials of the agency.

In 2017, the Telangana Excise and Prohibition Department had registered 12 cases in after seizing drugs worth Rs 30 lakh. Chargesheets have been filed in 11 cases. Later, the Enforcement Directorate started investigation into the money laundering angle in the Excise Department cases. So far, the 30 people have been arrested and 62 others questioned by the Telangana Excise Department in connection with the drugs case. Eleven of the people questioned are linked to the film industry.

Over the last years there have been multiple instances of drugs haul in Hyderabad. The biggest haul was in July 2017, when huge quantities of LSD and cocaine were seized from at least 13 people in a series of raids. The Excise Department said users included school and college students. At least 26 schools and 27 colleges, and also parents, were informed. Those arrested are said to be major suppliers of banned drugs to pubs, educational institutions and rave parties in Goa and Hyderabad, with links to Pune, Mumbai and Delhi too.