Telugu actor Tarun appears before SIT in drug case

Pic Courtesy: Movie Still

Hyderabad: Telugu actor Tarun appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Hyderabad drug racket on Saturday, officials said.

Accompanied by his father Chakrapani, the actor reached Abkari Bhavan, the office of Prohibition and Excise Department of Telangana at around 10 a.m.

A team of SIT officials continued questioning Tollywood celebrities for a fourth consecutive day.

Tarun, one of the 12 celebrities to be served notice by SIT, has already denied taking drugs or having links with the accused arrested in the case.

The actor, famous for "Nuvve Kavali" (2000), had opened a pub in 2009 in Banjara Hills area of Hyderabad. As the role of pubs in drug peddling came under scanner in the past, he had sold his stakes.

The investigating officials had interrogated actor Subbaraju for 13 hours on Friday. The actor, known for his negative roles in many films, provided leads to SIT for further investigations. 

Subbaraju reportedly revealed names of 10 film personalities. SIT had questioned director Puri Jagannadh on Wednesday and cinematographer Shyam K. Naidu on Thursday.

The celebrities were summoned for questioning as their contact numbers were found in the call data of Calvin Mascrenhas, the kingpin of the racket.

Actors Ravi Teja, Navdeep, and Nandu, actresses Charmee Kaur, Mumaith Khan and art director Chinna are among the other celebrities who will be questioned next week.

The enforcement wing of the department has so far arrested 13 accused, including US citizen Dundu Anish -- an aerospace engineer who had earlier worked with the NASA, and seven B.Tech graduates, most of whom were working for multi-national companies.