Hyderabad: Following their interrogation of film personalities, the Special Investigation Team looking into the major drug racket in the city, has found that some pubs and restaurants are also hubs for distribution of drugs in the city.
Statements by the film people who had been summoned for questioning by the SIT revealed the role of pubs and bars and the excise department is investigating this angle.
Commissioner of the Prohibition and Excise Department, Dr R. V. Chandravadan, told this newspaper that many pubs and bars in the city have become addas for drug peddlers and their clients and strict instructions have been given to their managements not to let this happen.
A source in the West Zone police who was involved in the investigation of drug cases in 2013 said that drugs were bought and sold at most social events and sponsored events organised in pubs.
“Drug peddlers are taking advantage of the lack of surveillance by the organisers and managements of pubs/bars. Some pubs have secret rooms which can’t be traced by new persons. We had identified such secret rooms in 2013 during a raid on a pub located in Banjara Hills Road Number 12,” the source said.
Besides secret rooms, the source said, “private dining rooms in pubs are also known addas for drug addicts and peddlers,” the source said.
“For privacy, pubs have a private dining facility but drug peddlers are misusing it and pub managements are not focusing on such issues as there is no provision of CCTV cameras in such rooms,” the source added.
Mr Chandravadan said that the managements of pubs and bars have been given guidelines by the department.
“We have directed them to concentrate on regular visitors, especially those who book private dining rooms. We have instructed them to keep surveillance on social and sponsor events in pubs. We have asked them to beef up security and pass information about suspicious persons to the police,” he said.
