A tip-off about a weekend party involving drugs led a team from the Gachibowli police to land at room numbers 1200 and 1204 of a star hotel during the intervening night of February 25 and 26. The party, reportedly organised by Syed Abbas Ali Jeffery at the request of Gajjala Vivekanand, son of BJP leader Gajjala Yoganand, had already ended.
The raid resulted in recovery of plastic sachets of white powder, each of one gram, along with a rolled-up white paper. The powder would later test positive for cocaine. Following the discovery, the police arrested Vivekanand (37) from his residence in Jubilee Hills on Tuesday morning at 6 a.m.
As per the FIR of the case, obtained by The Hindu, Telugu director Krish, actress Lishi Ganesh and producer Kedar Selagamsetty, Nirbhay, Raghu Charan, Sandeep, Swetha, and Neil had attended the party. “During questioning at the Gachibowli police station, Vivekanand admitted to organising the party and obtaining cocaine through Abbas,” explained Cyberabad Police Commissioner Avinash Mohanty. “He tested positive for drugs upon medical examination. The investigation is ongoing to identify the drug suppliers and other consumers involved.
Officials probing the case revealed that Abbas previously worked for the Manjeera group and had allegedly supplied cocaine to Vivekanand on multiple occasions. “Lishi, Swetha, and Sandeep are currently absconding,” said the officials, adding that Charan claims to be in Bengaluru, and Director Krish claims to be in Mumbai, but has agreed to cooperate with the investigation.
