Hyderabad: Telugu film art director Dharma Rao alias Chinna appeared before the Special Investigation Team of the excise enforcement department on Tuesday, in connection with the drug racket busted earlier this month. “The questioning started at 10.30 in the morning. He kept on emphasising that he has been clean and sober for a long time now. His call records and other evidences were shown to him to extract more details,” said an official in the excise department.
Excise officials also que-stioned businessmen na-med Sourabh Banothu, Akula Rithikesh and Ankith Agarawal in connection with the drug supply to users in the city. Elsewhre, rebutting criticism from certain quarters, excise enforcement director Akun Sabharwal said that the prohibition and excise department has the powers to investigate any offence under the NDPS Act. “We are legally empowered to investigate these cases. The department is following all provisions of law, including the Supreme Court’s guid-elines as far as interviewing and questioning is concerned of the summoned persons. We are within the parameters of the law.”
He said that people were judging the investigation process without having full knowledge of it. “I think it is incorrect on anybody’s part to arrive at a judgement… We are following all legal provisions… it is incorrect to pass judgement on the investigation,” he said. “The accusations that the officers are not doing their duty properly also amounts to defamation,” Dr Sabharwal said.
