HYDERABAD: Three persons, including an assistant film director in Tollywood, have been arrested for
drug-peddling and 2.5 kg of amphetamine have been seized from their possession, police said today.
Acting on a tip-off, a team from Jeedimetla police station caught two persons riding on a two-wheeler -- K Venkata Suresh Babu and V Kishore -- during a vehicle check near the Dundigal area here last night, police said, adding that the duo was in possession of a white powder in five sachets which were seized.
Tests confirmed the white powder to be amphetamine, a banned psychotropic substance, police said.
Suresh Babu hails from Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh. He had an ambition of working in the film industry. He had come to Hyderabad four years back and started filming a Telugu movie, a release from Cyberabad police said.
Suresh Babu had spent Rs 60 lakh on the film but due to lack of budget, it could not be completed, the release added.
Similarly, Kishore, who hails from Nizamabad district in Telangana, had worked as an assistant director to noted filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma. He had debts and was suffering with financial problems, the release said.
M Srihari Reddy, the owner of a hotel in Nellore, had recently brought one kg of the narcotic substance. He had given it to Suresh Babu for sale and offered him a share in the profit. Suresh Babu, in turn, offered a share of his profit to Kishore for selling the drug, police said.
"Last night, while both Suresh Babu and Kishore were proceeding on a bike with the white powder (narcotic substance) in order to sell it to students at Dundigal area, a police team caught them and seized the powder, which was found to be amphetamine," the release said.
Subsequently, police nabbed Srihari from Nellore and seized another 1.5 kg of amphetamine from his possession.
All three were arrested, police said.