As many as 12 Tollywood celebrities have been summoned for questioning by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a four-year-old drug trafficking and money laundering case, reported the Times of India. Some of the big names reportedly being called in for questioning include Rakul Preet Singh, Ravi Teja, Charmee Kaur, Navdeep, Mumaith Khan, Tanish, Nandu, Tarun and Rana Daggubati.
Tollywood director Puri Jagannadh has also been summoned, he will be questioned on August 31. Rakul Preet has been asked to appear before the ED on September 6 and Rana Daggubati on September 8, Ravi Teja on September 9, Mumaith Khan on November 15, per reports. Actor Ravi Teja's driver, identified as Srinivas, as well as an unnamed person identified as General Manager of F Club, have also been summoned.
These persons are expected to report to the ED for questioning from September 2 to 22. Officials from the Enforcement Directorate who investigated the case have also been summoned. So far no charge sheet has been filed against those who have been summoned.
The ED’s investigation into Tollywood celebrities pertains to a June 2017 drug bust by the Telangana Excise and Prohibition department where 700 blots of Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and 35 grams of Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) were seized from three persons. Investigators found that about 1,000 students from leading private schools and colleges in Hyderabad were using these high-end drugs. Some of these school students were studying in Class 8 and were as young as 13.
Investigators also found that the racket was supplying drugs to several prominent persons from the Telugu film industry. As many as 12 cases and 11 charge sheets have been filed against eight persons, and many of the accused in the case are now out on bail. One of the three arrested, Calvin Mascarenhas was accused of being King Pin in the cases. The then Director of Enforcement, Akun Sabharwal had said Calvin had confessed to having been part of the drug racket since 2014 and was buying the drugs via the dark web.