Tollywood drug case: Ravi Teja reveals some, hides some

Hyderabad: The Special Investigation Team on Friday grilled film actor Ravi Teja for about nine hours and said it had got some leads on the links of drug peddlers with the film industry. The actor refused to give blood, hair and nail samples for laboratory tests to establish or negate drug consumption.

A source in the SIT said that Ravi Teja had visited Abkari Bhavan after preparing himself well with his answers. “He refused to answer many questions and strongly opposed questions on his role in drug consumption,” said an SIT official. 

Talking about the leads obtained from Ravi Teja’s questioning, the SIT official said, “He agreed that drugs were common in rave parties in the film industry but did not say who was consuming drugs and who was organising the parties.”

Asked about his relationship with Puri Jagannadh’s team, Ravi Teja said he had acted in a number of films of the director and said he was a good friend. 

When the SIT asked about his brother Bharat, who had been caught in a drug case earlier along with another brother Raghu, he reacted strongly stating that he had suggested that they enrol in de-addiction clinics. He denied that his brothers introduced him to drugs; he said he had never taken drugs.

Following the questioning, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma tweeted: ‘After Ravi Teja questioning, even if the actual peddlers and suppliers are interviewed from tomorrow by the SIT, neither the media nor the public will give even 5 minutes of their time for that. That is because this whole noise was never ever to do with concern about drugs but it's to do with entertaining everybody by putting celebs in embarrassing positions.’(sic)

The SIT also questioned Syed Younus, a bouncer at a pub in the city and got key clues on special parties, social parties and ‘secret rooms with services’, a popular option offered. The SIT also questioned a ganja smuggler Taubeer Ahmed on Friday.

Actor’s driver to be grilled today
The SIT will question Ravi Teja’s driver Srinivasa Rao on Saturday. SIT sources said Whatsapp conversations and phone calls made from Rao phone were found on the mobilephone of alleged mastermind Calvin Mascarenhas. “We suspect he was purchasiing,” the source said.

Fans of Ravi Teja staged a protest held a protest in evening at the SIT premises and were dispersed by the police. They said he used to speak against addictions, and it was unlikely he took drugs.