Malnadu Restaurant owner in Kompally caught with cocaine, ecstasy; pub owners, doctor among consumers

Hyderabad: The Cyberabad Narcotics Police arrested a restaurant owner in Kompally for possessing and supplying banned drugs, including cocaine, ecstasy pills and OG weed.

The accused was identified as A Surya, 34, owner of Malnadu Restaurant.

Tip-off leads to interception

According to police, Inspector P Ramesh Reddy received credible information on Monday afternoon that Surya would arrive at his restaurant carrying narcotics. Acting swiftly, a police team set up surveillance near Malnadu Restaurant.

At around 7.15 pm, Surya was intercepted while driving his Tata Scorpio SUV. Upon questioning, he initially denied any possession but later confessed to hiding drugs in his vehicle.

Drugs concealed in footwear

Police found two small ziplock packets containing OG weed and ecstasy pills in the car dashboard. Further, they discovered a parcel box containing women’s chappals. On inspecting the footwear, officers found two packets of cocaine concealed inside the heel compartment of the right chappal.

The police seized OG weed (Kush): 3.2 grams, ecstasy pills: 3 pills weighing 1.6 grams and cocaine: 10 grams (5 grams each in two sachets) from the possession of the accused. The accused’s iPhone 15 Pro and his Scorpio vehicle were also seized during the operation.

Modus operandi

During interrogation, Surya revealed that he completed his MBA in Marketing from IIBS, Bengaluru, in 2015. After returning to Hyderabad, he established Malnadu Restaurant at Kompally in 2020.

He admitted to being a regular consumer of cocaine and OG weed along with his friends and customers at parties in popular pubs across Hyderabad, including Jubilee Hills and Hi-Tech City.

Nigerian smuggler couriered narcotics concealed in footwear

He stated that he procured drugs from multiple suppliers, including Harsha (Himayatnagar), Sandeep Juvvadi (Karimnagar) and Nigerian contacts based in Delhi and Bengaluru.

Surya disclosed that he purchased drugs from a Nigerian supplier named Nick, based in Delhi, who couriered narcotics concealed in footwear. Payments were made to Nick’s Canara Bank and HDFC Bank accounts.

Accused named several high-profile pub owners

Surya named several high-profile consumers, including pub owners in Jubilee Hills and Kondapur. A prominent cardiologist working at AIG Hospital, Gachibowli, businessmen and IT professionals from Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Bengaluru were also named.

Police said payments for recent purchases included Rs 1.39 lakh and Rs 80,000 sent to Nick for cocaine consignments, indicating an organised drug distribution setup.

The Cyberabad Narcotics Police registered a case under various sections of the NDPS Act for possession, procurement and distribution of narcotic substances. Inspector B Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy has been assigned to investigate the case further.

Hunt on for other accused

The police are now searching for absconding suppliers and consumers named by Surya, including Nigerian nationals and local peddlers involved in the network. Further investigation is underway to dismantle this nexus operating within the city’s nightlife circles.