Boy-next-door turns dreaded drug peddler

Bowenpally: Though the huge outcry over the drug racket that was unearthed recently has mellowed down due to reasons best known to the investigating officials, a neighbourhood in Old Bowenpally is yet to come out of shock and disbelief.

The otherwise peaceful locality is still unable to digest the fact that one of its residents in his late 20s is the ‘key player’ in the drug racket being investigated by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Excise and Prohibition Department. Ironically, residents are even unwilling to answer any question related to Calvin Mascarenhas, the alleged mastermind of the notorious dope case that rocked the entire State. They feign ignorance even about the location of residence of Mascarenhas.

The Dairy Farm Road connected to National Highway 44 leads to the Rajareddy Colony that resembles a village on the outskirts of Hyderabad. With mostly newly-constructed houses and residential complexes, there is rarely some activity during daytime. Here is the residence of Calvin Mascarenhas who is accused of being the ‘kingpin’ in the drug racket which has shaken Tollywood and IT sector. But people in the locality say they do not know the boy-next-door.

Some of them said they came to know about his alleged relation with drug mafia through news channels, after his arrest along with two other youngsters from Chandrayangutta. “I was shocked to learn about this, as one of our residents is in the limelight for wrong reasons. The people in the locality belong to respectable families who are mostly from upper middle-class,” said one of the traders near Road No.1 of the locality, close to Mascarenhas’ residence.

Mascarenhas’ residence is modest amongst several houses in the locality. When contacted by The Hans India, his father Bernard Mascarenhas said the family was not able to speak. “We are sorry, we cannot speak on the issue and it is not a good time. We shall not speak till the investigation is completed and once the case is over, we will be able to talk. If you want, you can speak to the lawyer,” he said.

A few days ago, his father clarified that Mascarenhas was not involved in the case and that he was a reserved person. “He is still completing his course (BBM) and is a victim (of drug abuse) himself,” he said outside his residence.

On June 2, Mascarenhas was arrested along with Md Abdul Waheb, 20, a student and Md Abdul Quddos, 29, a private employee. Prohibition and Excise Department, which arrested them alleged they were under the possession of more than 700 units of LSD and 34 grams of MDMA (also molecule), known as Ecstasy after more refinement. The total value of the drugs seized is more than Rs 20 lakhs in the market.

K Revanth Rao Gopala Swamy, his advocate, described him as any other college going student who was ‘falsely’ implicated in the drugs case. He said the authorities were reluctant to provide any document pertaining to the case, but they served only after the court directed to do so. “Everything is recorded in the court and I filed everything to prove his innocence. Whatever I am talking is completely based on the records and his innocence would be proved,” he said.

By Md Nizamuddin