HYDERABAD: Three days after being taken into police custody, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Saturday produced three accused — BRS former MLA Pilot Rohith Reddy, Ritesh Reddy and Delhi-based businessman Namith Sharma — before the Rajendranagar court in connection with the Moinabad farmhouse drugs case.
After producing them before the magistrate, the police sought three more days of custody for further investigation. Arguments on the custody petition are likely to be heard on Monday.
The police told the court that the investigation is still pending, with the money trail and other aspects yet to be probed. They said Rohith Reddy, owner of the farmhouse and organiser of the party, allegedly procured narcotics and liquor and abetted Namith Sharma to fire at the police, and that his custodial interrogation is necessary to identify the drug supplier, examine the planning of the party, ascertain the involvement of others and probe any similar past activities. They added that key aspects such as the supplier, digital communications and financial transactions are still under scrutiny.
The police further stated that Ritesh Reddy carried out several financial transactions on behalf of his brother Rohith Reddy, prima facie indicating he acted as a benami. Numerous suspicious cash and online transactions were found in their bank accounts, and the accused failed to offer satisfactory explanations during the investigation, prompting the police to seek custodial interrogation to verify the nature and source of these transactions and determine the role of each accused.
During the investigation, the police identified some suspects who allegedly supplied drugs to the accused, while some persons also allegedly consumed the contraband along with them. However, some of the suspected suppliers are absconding.
The case relates to a March 14 raid at Rohith Reddy’s Moinabad farmhouse, where 0.24 grams of cocaine were seized.