Hyderabad: Kith and kin of elite caught in drug bust

Hyderabad on Sunday woke up to sensational news that about 40 task force personnel raided a star hotel Radisson Blu in upmarket Banjara Hills during wee hours and took into custody 148 persons which included kith and kin of politicians, celebrities, and bureaucrats.

The task force team led by officer on special duty, P Radhakishan Rao, raided the Pudding and Mink pub at Radisson Blu hotel at around 2.30 am on Sunday after closing the in and out gates.

All the party-goers and 20 staff members were whisked away to the Banjara Hills Police Station. Actor Naga Babu's daughter Niharika Konidela, singer and winner of third session of Big Boss Telugu reality show Rahul Sipligunj, daughter of Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission Chairman and former DGP Gautam Sawang and Guntur MP Galla Jayadev's son, TRS MLA Nandishwar Goud's son, former Congress MLA Anjan Kumar Yadav's son who were among the 148 customers who were partying in the pub.

West Zone DCP Joel Davis told the media in the evening that five packets (one gram each) of what is suspected to be cocaine was recovered. He said they have found different kinds of drugs such as cocaine and weed from the premises. It is suspected that some might have consumed cocaine mixed with drinks.

Davis said a case under 8 (c), 22(b), 29(1) of NDPS Act and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code was registered against 35-year-old general manager of Pudding & Mink Pub Mahadaram Anil Kumar, 39-year-old owner of the pub Abhishek Vuppala and his partner Arjun Veeramachineni, who is still at large.

Seeing police personnel, it is said, the youngsters threw away the packets. But, five packets containing cocaine and several empty packets were recovered. The pub is owned by the daughter of a former MP Renuka Chowdhury but it has been given on sub lease to another person who has been running it from August 2021.