The arrest of a prominent doctor and former CEO of Omega Hospital, Dr Namrata Chigurupati, in a drugs case has sent shock waves across the medical community in the city. Dr Namrata, a radiologist by training, is the daughter of a renowned Oncologist and founder of Omega Hospital, Dr Mohana Vamsi.
She was caught red-handed by the police while purchasing cocaine from a courier near a bus stop in Raidurgam near her residence. The police confirmed that she was nabbed while receiving a delivery of 53 grams of cocaine, valued at ₹5 lakh.
Along with Dr Namrata (34), the police arrested Balakrishna Rampyar, the courier who had travelled from Mumbai to deliver the drugs. The police seized the consignment, ₹10,000 in cash, and two mobile phones from their possession.
Dr Namrata, who had resigned as the CEO of Omega Hospital nearly six months ago, has been sent to judicial remand and is now lodged in Chanchalguda jail. The investigations have revealed that Dr Namrata was grappling with a cocaine addiction that led to her quitting key roles at the hospital founded by her family.
She confessed to the police, during interrogation, that she had spent over ₹70 lakh on procuring cocaine over the last one year. She allegedly became addicted to the substance after coming in contact with a DJ during her visits to a pub in Thane, Maharashtra.
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Through the DJ, she came in contact with a Mumbai-based drug supplier, Vansh Thakkar, who operated a distribution network across cities, the police revealed. Dr Namrata reportedly coordinated drug purchases via WhatsApp and allegedly received multiple consignments through Balakrishna, who shuttled between Mumbai and Hyderabad delivering narcotics and collecting payments, according to the police.
The Rayadurgam Police Inspector Venkanna stated, “She was purchasing the drug when we caught them. We are now working to trace the rest of the network.”
Police officials believe the drug ring involves several high-profile individuals. A WhatsApp group used to coordinate the drug orders reportedly includes celebrities and children of prominent businessmen. Police are working to identify other members of the group and determine the full scope of the racket.
The case brought back the memories of a major drug racket busted by the police through a sting operation in 2017 that exposed the city’s ugly underbelly. The shocking revelation was that several Telugu film personalities, senior executives of MNCs, IT professionals and school and college students were found to be among the clients of the drugs mafia.
The more alarming part of the racket was that the drug peddlers were luring students, as young as 13 years, from several reputed schools in the city. The crackdown led to the arrest of 20 peddlers who made shocking revelations about their client list and their modus operandi. The students from 25 top-ranking schools and 20 colleges and children of several VIPs, including bureaucrats and police officers were found to be among the addicts who were regularly procuring psychedelic drugs from the dealers.
In the present case, the main supplier Vansh Thakkar has been named as an accused and is still absconding. This case is now being viewed as part of a larger crackdown on elite drug networks operating between Hyderabad and Mumbai.
Dr Namrata, a resident of a luxury gated community in the upmarket Shaikpet area, has been remanded to judicial custody. Blood samples have been collected to ascertain her drug usage history. A case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Though a qualified radiologist, Dr Namrata never practiced. She did a hospital management course in Spain, and was appointed as CEO of Omega Hospital after her return to India. She was not very actively participating in the activities of the hospital.
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