Tollywood drug case: Calvin Mascarenhas grilled, Rana Daggubati to appear before ED today

ED sleuths picked up Calvin and his two associates and brought them to their office on Tuesday. The trio was grilled for hours.

Tollywood actor Ananda Krishna alias Nandu was also questioned by the ED.

ED, which is investigating illegal money trail in the Tollywood drug case, seized Calvin's laptop, and other incriminating material.

The ED is probing suspicious money transactions of Kevin. It is to note that earlier the state's SIT found money transferred into his bank account by certain prominent personalities. The accused was grilled 12 times in the past.

Meanwhile, Bahubali actor Rana Daggubati is all set to appear before the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday in the drug trafficking and consumption case.

He is the fifth Hollywood celebrity to be grilled by the ED. Earlier, director Puri Jagannadh, actor Charmee Kaur and Rakul Preet were also questioned by the ED in the drug trafficking and consumption case.

The case was filed by Telangana's Special Investigation Team (SIT) in 2017. The SIT had filed 11 charge sheets in 12 cases booked mostly against small-time drug peddlers. Though Telugu cinema celebrities were summoned, not a single case was registered against them due to lack of evidence.

ED is investigating the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). It is to note that ED first started a probe into the case on November 20, 2020, when it shot off a letter to the excise and prohibition department.

Pertinently, the drug case was put into cold storage for four years. ED's summons has once again brought the focus on the case which exposed the alleged drug cartel in the Telugu Film Industry.

A highly placed source told NewsMeter that investigation into the drug racket has gathered steam after the demise of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.