No More Interrogations Of Film Personalities In Drug Scandal : Akun Sabarwal:- Akun Sabharwal, the Excise and Enforcement Director who is probing the huge drug scandal, made some fresh statements on the case.

He said that “there would be no more interrogations of film personalities in the case” and that the “Glamour” episode was over. However, fresh notices would be served in the case in the month of September and that the second list does not include names of film personalities, said Akun. Asserting that there was no pressure on them from any quarter, Mr Sabharwal said that 11 cases have been registered in the drug peddling case so far and the charge-sheet will be filed once the forensic reports are submitted.

On Friday, Akun addressed an anti-drugs awareness meet at the Engish and Foreign Languages University (EFLU). The talk titled “Marching towards a Drug-Free Nation: Role of Educational Institutions” was delivered at an event presided over by Prof E Suresh Kumar, the Vice Chancellor of the University. Prof Suresh Kumar, while sharing an anecdote with the gathering, advised the students that being firm was the only way to build a drug-free self, drug-free campus, and a drug-free nation. He encouraged the students to have the courage to be assertive and not buckle under peer pressure.

A two-pronged plan was charted by Akun Sabarwal to save the country from the menace of drugs. Saying ‘no’ to drugs right from the first instance would the first plan, and bringing drug abusers to the notice of the authorities should be the next plan. He added that “it should be considered as an illness that needs treatment.”  

The Narcotics Control Bureau prepared a powerful presentation on raising awareness and building measures to fight substance abuse. In the event, students and research scholars of the University participated very actively. 

Recalling how the drug racket snowballed into a sensational case, Akun stated that on July 1, he received a call from the station regarding a drug peddler not cooperating with the police. “I went to the station in my casual shorts and chappals to the station to know more about the peddler,” said Sabharwal. Possibly not knowing who Sabharwal was, in his unassuming attire, the peddler started throwing big names. “I ordered a cup of coffee for him to prolong the conversation and started noting down information,” he said.

As details unraveled, a special investigation team (SIT) was formed to look into the drug network functioning in Hyderabad with victims cutting across several premiere schools and eminent personalities. “A total of 11 cases have been registered as of now and a series of meetings were being held with our legal experts to look into the evidence collected both documentary and technical,”. “We will be filing charge sheets in the court by mid-September which would go on till late November as the results from the forensic department usually takes time, he said. “In India the conviction rate in these cases is just about 35% and I wouldn’t be happy if we do not get any convictions in this case,” Sabharwal said.

SUPRAJA