Anurag Kumar
The Hyderabad police conducted raids at an alleged rave party in the Madhapur neighborhood of the city on Wednesday night and arrested three individuals, including a former Navy officer, a well-known Telugu film financier, and a South-Central Railway employee, according to officials with knowledge of the situation.
D Sunitha, superintendent of police for the Telangana State Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TSNAB), told reporters that a team of TSNAB officials and Gudimalkapur police raided an apartment where a trance party was being held.
Former Indian Navy officer-turned-businessman B Balaji (34), film financier K Venkataratna Reddy (47), and a drug-using employee of the Railway Protection Force in South Central Railway D Murali (42), were among those arrested.
“We have seized 2.8 grams of cocaine, 6 LSD [Lysergic acid diethylamide] blots, 25 ecstasy pills, two packets of ganja, and 72,000 in cash, in addition to two cars [32.89 lakh each] and five mobile phones,” the SP said.
Sunitha stated that four drug suppliers, including three Nigerians, and at least 18 rave attendees remain at large. “Two women at the apartment said they had been invited to the party by Venkataratna Reddy in order to get roles in movies.”
According to her, Balaji, a native of Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore district, had previously served as an officer in the Indian Navy but resigned after an eye injury rendered him medically unsuitable.
He later became a businessman and frequently visited Hyderabad to celebrate and party with his friends at the Fresh Living Apartments in the Cyberabad neighborhood of Madhapur.
Balaji met drug dealers in Hyderabad and Bengaluru during this procedure. Later, he began throwing rave parties in Hyderabad and the adjacent areas for his friends and other well-known individuals.
Over time, he established direct connections with three Nigerians in order to acquire narcotics from Bengaluru and another individual in Visakhapatnam and transport them to Hyderabad.
“He supplied drugs at parties and also to people in the film industry, in addition to selling them to needy customers in Hyderabad,” the SP said.
In contrast, Venkataratna Reddy, a film financier who provided financing for a number of popular Telugu films such as “Damarukam,” “Kick,” “Businessman,” “Lovely,” and “Auto Nagar Surya,” is accustomed to using drugs and throwing parties for his friends.
“He was financing Balaji’s purchase of drugs in abundance for the parties. He would also organize women for customers at drug parties, according to the SP.
Wednesday night, Balaji was apprehended and drugs were seized from him by TSNAB officers who had credible information about the rave party.
On the basis of his information, the police executed a search warrant at Fresh Living Apartments, Vittal Rao Nagar, Madhapur, and arrested other individuals.
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“A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances [NDPS] Act at the Gudimalkapur police station, and an investigation is currently underway,” a police official stated.
