Narcotics department searches actor Navdeep’s house
Telangana State Narcotics Bureau (TSNAB) searches Tollywood actor P Navdeep's residence on suspicion of procuring drugs from peddlers. Navdeep is named Accused No. 37 in the case but is currently not arrested.
Sleuths of the Telangana State Narcotics Bureau (TSNAB) on Tuesday carried out searches at the residence of popular Tollywood actor P Navdeep in Hyderabad on the suspicion that he has been procuring drugs from drug peddlers, officers familiar with the matter said.
The actor was not present at his residence when the TSNAB police conducted search operations, that went on till Tuesday evening.
The police had earlier told the state high court that Navdeep was suspected to be a consumer of drugs and that he used to procure it from one of the accused in a drug peddling racket, busted by the police at upscale Madhapur last week.
The high court, however, asked the police not to arrest Navdeep in the case till Tuesday. “Since the deadline fixed by the court ended today, the TSNAB police conducted a raid at his house,” a police officer familiar with the development said.
The TSNAB has named the actor as Accused No. 37 in the case, after gathering evidence that he was purchasing drugs from one of the accused in the case registered at Gudimalkapur police station on September 14, for the alleged violations of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Prohibition) Act.
On September 14, Hyderabad city police commissioner and TSNAB director C V Anand announced the arrest of eight people and seizure of 50 grams of MDMA (a psychotropic drug), 24 ecstasy pills, and eight grams of cocaine from them.
The arrested people included Devarakonda Suresh Rao, son of former MP D Vittal Rao, film director Anugu Sushanth Reddy and Nigerian peddlers Amobi Chukwudi Muonagolu, Igbawre Micheal, and Thomas Anaga Kalu.
Anand said that actor Navdeep and film producer Ravi Uppalapati were also involved in the case, but are absconding. The police then issued summons to the makers of the recently released Telugu film ‘Baby’ for outright portrayal of drug abuse and its glorification.
Navdeep, however, took to X (formerly Twitter), saying he was not the actor the police were looking for and he was very much available in the city.’
Navdeep was among the Tollywood celebrities questioned by the Special Investigation Team of the state Excise and Prohibition Department in connection with a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in 2017.