The Enforcement Directorate has reportedly summoned at least four big names from the Indian entertainment industry to appear before it in a four-year-old drugs case. They are actor Rakul Preet Singh, Rana Daggubati, Ravi Teja and nine others.
A report by NDTV said that Rakul Preet has been directed to appear before the ED on 6 September, while the Baahubali actor has been asked to appear on 8 September. Ravi Teja and director Puri Jagannadh have been told to appear on 9 and 31 September respectively.
None of these four celebrities have been named as accused in the charge-sheet, claimed the news report.
The case relates to the seizure of drugs worth 30 lakh by the Telangana Excise and Prohibition Department in 2017. The ED had got involved later to probe the money laundering angle.
Rakul Preet was in the news last year after Navika Kumar of Times Now claimed that Rhea Chakraborty had named her along with Sara Ali Khan during her ‘confession’ before the Narcotics Control Bureau. The NCB had later termed the claim as fake.
Navika Kumar had defended her story as she tweeted, “…The story said these 3 were named by Rhea in her statement to NCB. They hung out together &consumed drugs. That was the story.The rest is your generalisation. I stand by my story. And clarifying to our viewers. Your comments don’t matter.”
Rhea was arrested by the NCB in the aftermath of the tragic death of Sushant Singh Rajput.