A Tollywood film financer, arrested during a raid on a rave party in Hyderabad on Wednesday, has been organising drug parties for his known friends, the Telangana State Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TSNAB) said on Thursday.
Venkataratna Reddy, who financed movies like "Damarukam", "Kick", "Businessman", "Lovely" and "Auto Nagar Surya", is habituated to drugs and organises drug parties for his known persons.
The 47-year-old was funding another accused B. Balaji to procure drugs in bulk to organise parties. He was also arranging women for the drug parties.
The TSNAB raided a flat of Balaji in Fresh Living Apartments in Madhapur area. They also found two women, who had come on the invitation of Venkataratna Reddy to get roles in movies.
Police seized different types of drugs like cocaine, LSD, Ecstasy pills and ganja, two cars and cash of Rs 72,500, totaling worth Rs.32.89 lakh from their possession.
Four drug suppliers, including three Nigerians, and 18 consumers are at large in this case, said an official of the TSNAB.
Balaji, a native of Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, was working in the Navy but was declared medically unfit due to eye injury. He is allegedly involved in drug peddling, consumption, and drug transportation.
According to police, he regularly used to come to Hyderabad to celebrate parties with his friends at the apartment in Madhapur. He came into contact with drug peddlers in Hyderabad and Bengaluru and started arranging drug parties to his friends and other known persons in Hyderabad and surrounding areas.
Gradually he established direct links/contacts with Nigerians to procure drugs from Bengaluru to Hyderabad and arrange parties and also sell it to the needy customers and important persons in the film industry.
Balaji, 34 was regularly purchasing drugs from four persons including three Nigerians residing at Bengaluru.
On credible information, Balaji was apprehended in the limits of Gudimalkapur Police Station along with 15 Ecstasy pills.
Based on the information given by him, the flat at Fresh Living Apartments was raided.
D. Murali, a railway employee, is the third accused arrested in the case. Working as senior steno at Rail Nilayam, he is also a drug consumer.