Excise and police personnel manning the entrance to the SIT Office in Abkari Bhavan on Wednesday created a “hulchal” when Tollywood Actress Charmee Kaur came for interrogation in connection with the ongoing investigations in the drug scandal.
The craze among the people, including the law-enforcing personnel, for film stars came to the fore when Charmee came for being questioned at the SIT Office in connection with the drug abuse issue on the seventh day of interrogation of film personalities. When Charmee, accompanied by her advocate Vishnuvardhan Reddy and some bouncers to guard her reached Abkari Bhavan in Nampally where the SIT Office was situated this morning, she was literally mobbed by the police personnel posted at the entrance.
Despite the bouncers forming a protective ring around her, the police personnel vied with each other to get photographed with the actress as media photographers and TV crew began clicking pictures. What is more, one police constable one Srinivas allegedly put his hand on the actress shoulder in the melee to get himself seen in the pictures. As a matter of fact, the actress has even lodged a complaint with the SIT authorities against the behaviour of the constable.
Later in conformity with the directives of the High Court, four women officers commenced interrogation of Charmee based on the inputs gathered from other film artistes like Director Puri Jagannath, Cinematographer Shyam K Naidu, actors Subbaraju, Navdeep and others. During the course of the questioning, the SIT officials were understood to have tried to elicit from the actress her association with Calvin Mascarenhas, the mastermind in the drug racket.
According to informed sources, the SIT officials seemed to have gathered information that there were as many as 1000 WhatsApp messages between Charmee Kaur and Calvin. Hence, the SIT officials’ questioning was understood to have been centered round to ascertain as to why the actress was in touch with the drug mastermind Calvin. She was also questioned whether she consumed drugs and whether rave drug parties were frequently held and who were those serving drugs.
Since Charmee hails from a Punjabi family from Mumbai, the SIT questioned her whether drugs were being brought from Punjab by persons known to her. However, the actress is understood to have denied that she had close association with Calvin and that she had met him at an event in connection with the movie on the biopic of Tollywood bombshell Jyothi Laxmi, in whch she had donned the role of the main character.
To queries whether her friend Puri Jagannath was used to taking drugs, the actress seemed to have stoutly denied the charge. She was also understood to have been questioned about her trips to foreign countries and whether drugs were used by those attending various parties there. The actress was interrogated for nearly six-and-a-half hours and the questioning completed by 5 pm as per the High Court directive. The actress did not give her blood samples and was advised to come for further questioning whenever wanted.
Meanwhile, Director of Excise Enforcement Directorate Akun Sabharwal and Excise Commissioner Chandravadan had a meeting with Chief Secretary S P Singh at the Secretariat where the progress in the drug investigation so far has been apprised. Sabharwal also informed the CS that a key drug peddler Mike Cummings of Netherlandswas arrested. The Dutch national was stated to be the key person in supplying the contraband drugs. He is likely to be produced in the court and further investigation will be taken up.
Tollywood’s popular “item girl” Mumaith Khan is likely to be interrogated by SIT on Thursday. The actress, who is busy shooting for the reality show “Big Boss” is understood to have sought permission from the producers to leave Mumbai for presenting herself in Hyderabad for questioning by SIT. (NSS)