Syed Abdul Rahman, arrested by the Madhapur Special Operations Team and the Gachibowli police on March 20 for allegedly supplying drugs in the Radisson Hotel party, has revealed the names of as many as 30 smaller peddlers of MDMA and cocaine in the city.
Mr. Rahman is the key peddler in Hyderabad in an extensive web of drug suppliers and peddlers operating out of Goa’s Colvale Jail. The network operates in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru as well.
According to police, Mr. Rahman was caught while he was in the city to deliver 11 grams of MDMA to a customer. Milansi Narendrasi Vanath (34) of Kondapur, a drug peddler who also managed the accounts for drug trade for Faisal, the kingpin of the network, was also caught.
During an extensive interrogation that ensued, Mr. Rahman, known as ‘Abdullah’ within the racket, confessed to having delivered seven grams of cocaine to Mirza Waheed Baig, whom the police have cited as peddlers in the case along with Praveen and Syed Abbas Ali Jeffery. Mr. Baig paid him ₹14,000 in cash for the drug.
This was not the first time such a delivery had been made. Mr. Rahman had supplied cocaine to Mr. Mirza several times last year. The transactions were done mostly via a savings bank account but sometimes in cash as well, he is quoted as saying in the interrogation report seen by The Hindu.
The party, organised by Mr. Ali Jeffery on the orders of one Gajjala Vivekanand in February-end, saw the attendance of Tollywood director Krish Jagarlamudi, actress Lishi Ganesh, producer Kedar Selagamsetty, Nirbhay, Raghu Charan, Sandeep, Swetha and Neil.
The Gachibowli police are currently in talks with the central jail authorities for the hair-follicle test of all the attendees after they tested negative in the drug test performed in the following week of the search, which was carried out during the intervening night of February 25 and 26, a senior official told The Hindu.
Notorious network
Following the interrogation, Awni Hassan Abu Aklas of Delhi, who supplied cocaine and MDMA to Mr. Rahman “more than 50 times” was arrested by the Telangana police in Delhi on Friday. Custody is being sought to bring him to Hyderabad for further questioning, two senior officials investigating the case told The Hindu.
Mr. Rahman has been identified as the common supplier in multiple drug cases across the city. At least six cases under the NDPS Act have been registered against Mr. Rahman and Mr. Milan in Gachibowli, Jagadgirigutta, Dabeerpura, Malakpet and Chaderghat between 2022 and 2024, as per the information shared by the officials.
Four bank accounts have been identified as having been used for various transactions, along with three Indian and two international phone numbers operated for supplying drugs across the city, said Director of Telangana State Anti-Narcotic Bureau (TSNAB) Sandeep Shandilya.
Earlier last month, the arrest of Suleman Bin Abubakar (31), Shaik Armaan (34) and Arqamum Hussain (27), peddlers who worked for Mr. Rahman, brought the spotlight back on the network after the trio allegedly trapped and exploited a woman with ’free drugs’.
Mr. Rahman had delivered 15 grams MDMA to Mr. Hussain, he said in his confession. While Mithuna (37), Konagala Priya (36) and Challa Chaitanya (41), a doctor at a private hospital in Kondapur, were identified as key customers in the narcotics bust.
