Image Being Damaged, Says Telugu Actor Charmme Kaur On Questioning For Drugs

Hyderabad: Actor Charmme Kaur, who is among a dozen top actors being investigated in a massive drug racket busted earlier this month, has told the Hyderabad High Court that she wants her lawyer to be present when she is questioned by investigators on Wednesday.

Ms Kaur, who will appear before a Special Investigation Team, said her name being linked to the drugs case is damaging her image as an actor and a young, unmarried woman. She has also questioned the legality of samples of her blood, nails and hair being collected to check for traces of drugs.

Charmme Kaur is among several actors and other members of the Telugu film fraternity, called Tollywood, whose numbers were allegedly found on the contact list on a mobile phone seized from Calvin Mascarenhas, who the police say is the kingpin of the drug racket they busted. Calvin was among 12 people arrested in the case, which revealed that students of Hyderabad's top schools and colleges were using LSD and other drugs.

The lawyer of Calvin Mascarenhas has said he is being framed. "He does not know anyone in Tollywood. There is no such call data record that show connections," said the lawyer, Revanth Rao.

Famous film director Puri Jagannath, cinematographer Sham K Naidu, actors Subbaraju, Tarun and Navdeep have already been questioned for hours in the case, but they have denied any links with drug peddlers.

Akun Sabharwal, director of excise enforcement, said they were following due procedure and Supreme Court guidelines. "Not just possession, sale and purchase, but also consumption and abetment of consumption in your premises will invite action under the law. We are following all legal procedures,'' he said. Mr Sabharwal, who is heading the investigation, has approached the police chief to say he is getting threats on the phone over the drug probe.

On Monday, excise officials arrested Rony, the manager of actor Kajal Agarwal for allegedly possessing ganja.