Tollywood actor Naga Babu daughter and actress Niharika Konidela were among 144 people detained by police on April 2 for partying after hours at a pub in Hyderabad. Naga Babu, the brother of actors Chiranjeevi and Pawan Kalyan, issued a statement on his official Instagram account defending his daughter. He captioned the video, "No Matter How Fast a Lie Runs...,The Truth Will Always Overtake It." He stated that she had done nothing wrong and is not to blame. He also urged social media and mainstream media to refrain from spreading "unwanted speculations" about Niharika.
Our moral conscience is clear. Due to its lateness, the pub was sanctioned. Niharika was not at fault, according to police reports. "I'm sharing this video just because she was present at the moment, and we don't want any unnecessary guesses about this matter," Nagababu remarked in the video.
For the uninitiated, those detained included 33 women and some pub staff members. The pub had reportedly become notorious for supplying prohibited substances and was also serving liquor to non-hotel guests despite having a licence only to serve hotel guests.
The raid coincides with an increased police effort to combat the drug problem. The recent death of an engineering graduate as a result of a drug overdose, as well as the involvement of some educated youth and technologists in drug peddling and consumption, has alarmed authorities.
The police and the newly formed Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing (H-NEW) are not only taking tough measures against drug peddlers, but they are also filing charges against those who are found to be consuming the drugs.