Mythili (name changed to protect identity), a 36-year-old woman from Nizampet in Hyderabad, had a good life: two little kids, a villa in an upscale gated community, and a husband living in the Gulf who would send her a generous allowance of ₹3 lakh a month for expenses. With her close circle of friends, she’d spend weekends at a bistro, transitioning into a nightclub as the sun set. On February 2 this year, she was arrested by the Hyderabad police on charges of peddling cocaine.
In August 2022, Mythili met alleged drug peddler Suleman bin Abubakar, 31, at a posh nightclub in Gachibowli. Striking up a conversation over a drink, Suleman had slipped her a sample of cocaine and MDMA for free, says the police. A few more meetings with Suleman followed, and Mythili went from being a casual drug user to a peddler, procuring drugs from Suleman and selling it to her friends, claim the police.
Abubakar, as per the police, would identify young, vulnerable people in nightclubs, and get them to sample drugs like cocaine and MDMA for free. Once they took the bait, he would channel drugs through them. Mythili’s arrest helped the Cyberabad police bust Abubakar’s network, which was reportedly one of many avenues through which drugs like cocaine, MDMA, and LSD are being pumped into the city.
