Kompally drug racket: Key management members of pubs made accused

Hyderabad: In connection with the Kompally drug racket, EAGLE officials have held the managements of three prominent pubs in the city accountable for allegedly allowing their premises to be misused by drug abusers.Key management members of these pubs have been named as accused under section 25 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, which pertains to allowing premises to be used for the commission of an offence. “In this case, the three pub owners and partners facilitated their premises for drug consumption by the five arrested individuals, and hence have also been booked,” sources involved in the investigation told TOI.According to investigators, the accused had previously consumed drugs at a well-known pub in Financial District, as well as at establishments on Road No. 45 in Jubilee Hills and Madhapur. In recent times, they abused drugs at pubs in Kondapur and Road No. 36 and Road No. 45 in Jubilee Hills.

“Based on the confession of the accused, we came to know that specific areas inside the pubs that the accused used to visit were often demarcated for drug abuse,” police said.

As of now, though the managements have been cited as accused in the case, they have not been arrested yet. Police officials have contacted them for clarification on the allegations.Preliminary findings suggest that the arrested individuals were allowed to remain at these establishments even after business hours, and used the designated areas to consume drugs late into the night.So far, police have taken three persons into custody, including the son of a senior intelligence officer, for questioning.

Investigators aim to uncover more details about the drug network, its operations, and the supply chain, as well as to whom the drugs were supplied.An African national, reportedly involved in drug supply, has also been taken into custody. Authorities are now considering deportation. Meanwhile, officials are probing the money trail, including banking transactions of the accused. It has emerged that payments were made to drug suppliers based in Delhi.Escape from 2024 drug case under lensResponding to the controversy surrounding how Rahul Teja, the son of a senior intelligence officer, managed to evade arrest in a 2024 drug case registered by Nizamabad police, inspector general of police (Multi-Zone-1) Chandrasekhar Reddy told TOI that the matter is under inquiry. While police arrested three individuals, including a 43-year-old man from Punjab, Teja remained at large and was not named in the chargesheet.