Tollywood actress Charmi Kaur appears before ED in money laundering probe related to old drug case

Tollywood actress Charmi Kaur on Thursday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in connection with a money laundering probe related to a four-year-old drug case. Charmi reached the ED office in Hyderabad at around 10.30 am, when she was getting down from the car, a large number of waiting cameramen and photographers came close to her, creating chaos. He requested the camera personnel to give way to him. The actress’ personal security personnel intervened to make way for her to enter the ED office.

She is the second Tollywood personality to appear before the ED. Earlier, director Puri Jagannath was questioned for about 10 hours on Tuesday. The ED had last week issued notices to 10 people linked to Tollywood and two others, including a private club manager, as part of a money laundering probe related to the drugs racket.

Actors Rakul Preet Singh, Rana Daggubati, Ravi Teja, Charmi Kaur, Navdeep, Mumaith Khan and director Puri Jagannath have been asked to appear before the ED between August 31 and September 22. Tanish, Nandu, actor Ravi Teja’s driver Srinivas are also among those summoned. In connection with the busting of drug rackets with the arrest of drug smugglers in 2017.

The ED also collected details of the investigation conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Telangana’s Prohibition and Excise Department. The drugs racket was busted on July 2, 2017, when customs officials arrested a musician Calvin Mascarenhas and two others and seized drugs worth Rs 30 lakh from their possession.

They had reportedly told investigators that they were supplying drugs to film personalities, software engineers and even students of some corporate schools. Mobile numbers of some Tollywood celebrities were reportedly found in their contact list.

The Excise Department had constituted an SIT for a comprehensive investigation. A total of 12 cases were registered, 30 people were arrested, while 62 persons, including 11 linked to Tollywood, were investigated by the SIT under Section 67 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Section 161 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The SIT had collected blood, hair, nails and other samples of some of those who appeared for questioning and sent them for analysis.

Actors Ravi Teja, Charmme Kaur, Mumaith Khan, director Puri Jagannath and young actors Tarun Kumar and P. Navdeep were among the stars questioned by the SIT. Cinematographer Shyam K. Naidu, actors Subbaraju, Tanish, Nandu and Ravi Teja’s driver Srinivas were also questioned.

The SIT filed charge sheets in eight of the 12 cases. However, it gave a clean chit to the film personalities who were questioned as part of the investigation.