Ex BRS MLA remanded to judicial custody

Former BRS MLA Pilot Rohit Reddy and two other accused were remanded to judicial custody for 14 days in the Moinabad farmhouse drugs case.

Police produced Rohit Reddy, his brother Ritesh Reddy and Delhi-based businessman Namith Sharma before a magistrate at Upperpally late on Sunday night. After hearing arguments from both sides, the magistrate remanded the accused to judicial custody.

This came nearly 24 hours after the Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE) Force conducted a raid at a farmhouse belonging to Rohit Reddy at Moinabad near Hyderabad.

Eleven persons, including a woman, who were present at the farmhouse were detained and six of them, including Rohit Reddy and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP Putta Mahesh Kumar, tested positive for drugs.

Mahesh Kumar, the MP from Eluru in Andhra Pradesh, and seven other accused were released on station bail on Sunday after police served them notices.

However, Rohit Reddy and two others were produced before the magistrate. According to the police, Namith Sharma allegedly opened fire from a revolver during the raid. The licensed weapon belonged to Ritesh Reddy.

The EAGLE Force said the raid was conducted following information that several individuals had gathered at the farmhouse and were celebrating with narcotic and psychotropic substances along with a large quantity of liquor.

A .32 calibre revolver (made in Germany), along with live and empty cartridges, was seized from Namith Sharma. Another accused, Silveri Sharath Kumar, was found holding empty cartridge cases.

During the search, cocaine weighing 0.26 grams was recovered from Sharath Kumar, who allegedly confessed to procuring the drug through Kaushik Ravi.

Large quantities of liquor, including beer, whisky, vodka and other premium brands, were also seized from the farmhouse.

A case has been registered at Moinabad Police Station under Sections 8(C), 22(A), 27 and 29 of the NDPS Act; Sections 25(1-B)(a) and 30 of the Arms Act; Section 34(a) of the Telangana State Excise Act; and Sections 109 and 131 read with 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).