HYDERABAD: A day after Hyderabad police raided an upcsale hotel in
Banjara Hills
and named three accused in the drug bust, it added a fourth name to the list on Monday — Kiran
Raju, son-in-law of former Union minister,
Renuka Chowdhury. His name, cops said, was added based on confessions of the two accused — Abhishek Vuppala and M Anil Kumar — who have been arrested. Raju, along with the third accused,
Arjun Veeramachineni
, has been declared absconding.
All the accused have been booked on charges of violating the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and 420 (conspiracy) of the IPC.
“During interrogation, the two arrested said that Raju was also a partner in the Pudding & Mink pub located within Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel. But there is still no clarity about whether he was a sleeping partner or was actively involved. It appears that the property changed many hands over a period of time. So, we need to verify all documents,” said an official associated with the interrogation.
Officials said they are trying to procure a copy of the lease agreement signed between the accused and the previous management.
Reacting to the development, Chowdhury — who is in Delhi for a meeting with Rahul Gandhi — said inclusion of her son-in-law’s name was “politically motivated” and that the police have not done their homework properly. “Firstly, he was not there on the spot. He has been in the US for the past few days along with my daughter who's surgery date was fixed by doctors, much before the police busted the case. His name was not there on the accused list on Sunday and it has been included on Monday. How can the police say he is absconding without even telling him that he has been made an accused? Chowdhury said.
Some sources close to the family also claimed that Raju and Tejasvini (Renuka Chowdhary’s daughter) divorced almost one-and-half years ago. They have a son together and share amicable relations.
Meanwhile, police are in the process of moving a petition in the Nampally court to seek custody of the two arrested persons, to unearth the source of the drug and other related information. The petition is expected to be filed on Wednesday.
In the wee hours of Sunday, Hyderabad’s task force sleuths cracked down on this pub, packed with guests, and seized five grams of cocaine from the bartender’s table.
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