Janwada Farmhouse raid: Raj Pakala booked for excess possession of alcohol

Hyderabad: Raj Pakala, a Hyderabad based business man has been booked by Telangana Excise department for excess possession of alcohol.

On the intervening night of October 26 and 27, the Narsingi Police, along with Cyberabad’s Special Operations Team (SOT) and Excise department officials conducted a joint raid on a farm house located in Janwada, based on a tip off. The inputs received were, possible infractions related to alcohol and drug use.

In a statement issued by the Rajendranagar police, as many as 21 males and 14 females were present at the party during the raid, where liquor was served without obtaining any permission from the excise department.

Seven foreign liquor bottles and 10 Indian liquor bottles from Karnataka and Maharastra were found. Apart from that, gaming related items were also found.

On suspicion, the male participants in the party was checked for drug. Among them, a person identified as Vijay Madduri tested cocaine positive, cops confirmed.

The entire premises was checked by a sniffer dog. On verification, it came to light that the owner of the farmhouse is Rajendra Prasad Pakala.

Vijay Madduri was sent to hospital for a blood test. A case is registered U/s 25, 27 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and sections 3&4 of the Telangana Gaming Act at Mokila police station against Raj Pakala and Vijay Madduri.

The party was hosted by Raj Pakala. Since he didn't obtain Excise permission, a case was registered against him u/s 34 A, 34(1) r/w 9 of Excise Act by Excise Taskforce, the police said and confirmed that no drugs were found on-site.

The police collected the samples of 26 liquor bottles and 11 beer bottles for examination. Meanwhile, the remaining beer bottles were also seized by the police.

The accused Karnataka Karthik, farmhouse supervisor was arrested by the police and named as A-1 in the case. While Pakala Rajendra Prasad was named as A-2 in the case.

All the case details and property, along with the accused were handed over to the local excise station for further investigation.

The case against Pakala is soley for excessive possession of liquor. Further investigation is on in the matter, the police said.

It is political vendetta- claims BRS

Following the raids BRS lashed out at the Congress calling it political vendetta. ‘Its is a family function. And Raj Pakala has been staying at the place along with his family. There were families present during the raid. "Firstly, It is not a farm house but the residence of my brother-in-law Raj Pakala. Earlier, he lived in a rented accomodation but now he moved into the new house in Janwada. On this occassion and keeping in mind Diwali, Raj invited his close friends and family, who came along with their children. My wife and my mother-in-law were also present. How can you call it a rave party, when families and elders are present. Did cops find drugs at the party?. Around 15 people were tested and 14 including my brother in law were tested negative. What does this prove? Also, I wasnt present at the party, it is false to say I left 5 minutes before the raids" said KTR.

The BRS further accused that following the directions of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, the police forcibly entered into the houses as dacoits and created panic among the elderly people, children and women.

On the two major accusations levelled by the Congress, the BRS denied the presence of foreign liquor. As per the Panchanama, the liquor found in the family function were duty-free liquor bottles which could be purchased by any individual visited abroad, BRS said.

"How it can be against the law? The foreign liquor mentioned in the Panchanama is available at every wine shop in the cities and are being sold after availing permissions from the state excise department," the BRS added.

KCR telephoned DGP, asking about the raids

BRS president K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) reportedly telephoned Telangana DGP Dr Jitender over the raids. "How can the police carry out searches without any search warrant, " KCR questioned. The BRS president also requested the DGP to immediately stop the ongoing raids.

Bandi Sanjay demands government to take serious action against the guilty

Reacting to the raids, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and Karimnagar BJP MP, Bandi Sanjay Kumar on his X wrote, "The Congress government in Telangana is just pretending to enforce the law but is actually protecting the BRS bigwigs. The raid at Janwada farmhouse is merely tip of the iceberg.A proper search would reveal the truth - even a novice knows drugs don’t simply vanish. The Congress government should not dilute the case - by giving a predictable statements. It’s like saying “operation success but patient died”.

Elaborating further, the Union Minister said that it had became a obvious that Congress and BRS are playing a “give and take” game, protecting each other’s interests. Speculations are rife that #TwitterTillu’s family members were supposedly present, yet Congress is pressuring police to shield them rather than holding them accountable. #TwitterTillu’s family seems to operate in a “drugs-free zone,” untouched by law enforcement. Telangana is tired of these half-measures by Congress govt and needs real action against substance abuse, je said.

"I appeal the officials concerned to seize the passports of all high-profile individuals involved, secure their tower locations, and release every piece of CCTV footage. We call for immediate arrests with absolute no leniency, no escape routes. If the state thinks it can help these individuals slip away, they’re sorely mistaken," Bandi Sanjay said.

BJP MP Raghunandan Rao demands a SIT investigation and the release of CCTV

BJP MP Raghunandan Rao has urged the Telangana government to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the Saturday night raid on a farmhouse in Janwada, where illicit alcohol and drug use were found.

Raj Pakala, a relative of BRS leader, owns the farmhouse where the party was held. It resulted in several legal infractions, such as the unapproved pouring of foreign alcohol and an attendee's positive cocaine test result. The state government should make the CCTV footage from the farmhouse publicly available, Raghunandan Rao has suggested, stressing accountability and transparency.

Raghunandan Rao also emphasized the significance of public confidence in the investigation's conclusion by saying, "The state must take responsibility to conduct a fair and complete investigation, especially given the involvement of high-profile individuals," he said.

MLC Balmoor Venkat demands details of all those who attended the party

“Our Chief Minister Revanth Reddy wants to make the state drug free. Some prominent leaders are using narcotics while at those gatherings," said MLC Balmoor Venkat.

According to reports, there are prominent personalities in the vicinity of yesterday's raid.. All of the attendees' information should be provided. "Bandi Sanjay needs to keep in mind that our government is taking tough measures against drugs," he remarked.