HYDERABAD: Cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act were registered on Sunday against Raj Pakala, brother-in-law of BRS working president KT Rama Rao, for organising a party in which one of the guests, Vijay Madduri, allegedly tested positive for cocaine.
The Cyberabad Special Operations Team (SOT) and Excise officials raided a farmhouse in Janwada after receiving credible information about the consumption of prohibited drugs and foreign liquor at a party on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. Meanwhile, BRS president and former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao contacted DGP Dr Jithender to question how the raids could be conducted without a search warrant.
The farmhouse is owned by Pakala Rajendra Prasad, alias Raj Pakala, owner of ETG software company located at Nanakramguda. Vijay is the CEO of ETG and owner of Fusion Aix software company.
The FIR said, “Vijay stated during interrogation, in the presence of a mediator, that he and Raj would occasionally meet for weekend gatherings where they used to consume drugs and gamble using poker chips. They have had a close relationship for five years. As a result, Raj invited Vijay to a Deepavali party at his newly built house. Raj Pakala asked him (Vijay) to consume cocaine, which he had with him, and Vijay agreed and consumed cocaine.”
A case was registered under Sections 25, 27 and 29 of the NDPS Act, along with Sections 3 and 4 of the Telangana Gaming Act, at Mokila police station against Madduri and Pakala. Additionally, the Excise department’s Task Force filed a case under Section 34-A and Section 34(1) r/w 9 of the Excise Act against Pakala for serving alcohol without a licence.
According to the FIR, after receiving a tip-off, the SOT and Excise officials arrived at Pakala’s farmhouse around 11.30 pm and found 16 women and 22 men socialising in separate groups. The police seized seven bottles of foreign liquor, 10 loose Indian liquor bottles and items related to gambling.
Female guests did not cooperate: FIR
Three aluminium briefcases containing playing cards were also confiscated. Meanwhile, the FIR also stated that female guests did not cooperate when officials attempted to conduct drug tests using female staff.
Tension in Raidurgam
Excise officials, along with local police, conducted further searches in Raidurgam on Sunday evening in two villas owned by Raj Pakala and his brother Sravan. With both owners unavailable, officials broke open the doors. Incidentally, KT Rama Rao also owns a house in the same locality. Several BRS MLAs and leaders gathered and tried to obstruct the police from searching Rama Rao’s house fearing that he might be implicated in the case. The police then detained BRS MLAs Maganti Gopinath, KP Vivekananda, and others and shifted them to the Gachibowli police station.
What are the sections?
Section 25 of the NDPS Act penalises any owner or occupant of premises who knowingly allows it to be used for offences.
Section 27 criminalises the consumption of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances.
Section 29 pertains to conspiracy to commit any offence