Actor Navdeep grilled for 11 hours in drug case

A special investigation team (SIT) probing the Hyderabad drug racket grilled Telugu actor P Navdeep for over 11 hours on Monday.

While leaving Abkari Bhavan, office of the Telangana prohibition and excise department here on Monday night, Navdeep told reporters that he gave a clear reply to all questions posed by officers regarding his dealings with an event manager.

"Everything is okay," said the young actor. The SIT officers reportedly told him that if necessary he would be called again for further questioning.

Navdeep was quizzed about his links with Zeeshan Ali Khan alias Jack, one of the suspects arrested in the case. The actor admitted he knew Khan as an event manager but denied involvement in any illegal activity.

Navdeep is the fifth film celebrity from the South being questioned by authorities for alleged links with drug peddlers arrested in Hyderabad.

The actor, one of 12 celebrities summoned by the SIT for questioning, has already denied taking drugs or having any links with the peddlers.

"It is usual to sensationalize news as soon as there are film people involved, me being involved in events and working with some wrong event managers I can understand why this happened," Navdeep tweeted on 14 July.

Art director Dharma Rao alias Chinna will appear before SIT on Tuesday.

The investigating officers on Saturday grilled actor Tarun. They had quizzed actor Subbaraju on Friday. Known for his negative roles in many films, Subbaraju had reportedly provided leads to the SIT for further investigation.

The SIT earlier questioned director Puri Jagannadh and cinematographer Shyam K Naidu. The celebrities were summoned for questioning as their contact numbers were found in the call data of Calvin Mascarenhas, the suspected kingpin.

Actors Ravi Teja and Nandu and actresses Charmee Kaur and Mumaith Khan are among the other celebrities who will be questioned this week.

The enforcement wing of the department has so far arrested 19 persons, including US citizen Dundu Anish, an aerospace engineer who had earlier worked with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and seven BTech graduates, most of whom were working for multinational companies.