The Telangana government on Monday has set up Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into nexus between students, Tollywood, educational institutions and several Multinational companies after a joint team of police and Excise and Prohibition (E&P) department busted a major drug racket.
Authorities stumbled upon the racket following a WhatsApp message of a ninth standard girl. “I had a high with one dot of drug…..can I have some more,” was the message that alerted the vigilant officers under the E&P Director Akun Sabharwal who have been tracking the movements of certain groups in the city.
Three persons, all young men were arrested for procuring high-end narcotic drugs such as LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide), MDMA (Methyl Enedioxy Methamphetamine) also known as Ecstasy, through deep web , mostly from Chicago in the USA through courier service. According to Akun Sabharwal the market value of the confiscated drugs will be around Rs 21 lakhs. The excise sleuths also arrested three persons, Calvin Mascrenhas (29), Abdul Quddus (29) and his brother Mohammad Abdul Waheb (20) who has formed a well-knit group of suppliers and users numbering not less than 1200.
“We have noted that film producers, top level employees of several Multinational companies, well-known schools and colleges were involved in the racket. The revelations are stunning,” an investigation officer said. He said several customers and drug peddlers were also taken into custody and at least 21 persons have been identified. Four International schools and nine engineering colleges are also under the E&P scanner.
Meanwhile, Bernard Mascrenhas, father of Kelvin who has migrated from Mangalore in Karnataka to the city say that his son was actually a victim of drugs and a carefree fellow, but refused to accept his connection with the drugs racket. Kelvin is a techie working with a reputed MNC here. But the police say that Kelvin is a peddler and was arrested once for possession of Ganja a few years ago.
Published 03 July 2017, 11:28 IST