'57 sachets in her Mini Cooper': Hyderabad hospital ex-CEO caught buying Rs 5 lakh cocaine

Police probe

A former CEO of Omega Hospitals in Hyderabad was arrested on Thursday evening after allegedly purchasing cocaine worth Rs 5 lakh from a Mumbai-based supplier. The arrest, made by the Raidurgam police, has exposed an interstate drug network with its kingpin still at large.

According to an NDTV reported citing its sources in police, Dr Namrata Chigurupati, 34, was apprehended near the Mehfil restaurant in Raidurgam as she received a parcel containing 53 grams of cocaine from Balakrishna Rampyar Ram, a delivery agent linked to the Mumbai supplier, Vansh Dhakkar.

The operation resulted from a well-coordinated trap laid by sub-inspector B Sakram and his team, acting on specific intelligence, TOI reported.

Investigators revealed that Dr Chigurupati had placed her order via WhatsApp, transferring the payment online to Dhakkar. The cocaine, meticulously packed in 57 bud-shaped sachets, was handed over to her in her Mini Cooper.

Police seized the drugs, Rs 10,000 in cash and two mobile phones from the scene. Both Dr Chigurupati and Balakrishna were immediately taken into custody and have since been remanded to judicial custody under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

During interrogation, Dr Chigurupati reportedly confessed to spending as much as Rs 70 lakh on drugs over time, tracing her addiction back to her MBA days in Spain between 2021 and 2022. She completed her MBBS in 2014 and her MD in radiation oncology in 2017 and is a divorced mother of two. Initially, she sourced cocaine from a local DJ before establishing a direct link with Vansh Dhakka.

Balakrishna, the courier, admitted to working for Dhakkar and transporting drugs across state lines for a commission. According to police, Dr Chigurupati had handed over Rs 5 lakh in cash to Balakrishna on 4 May, who then delivered the money to Dhakkar in Mumbai before returning with the cocaine consignment to Hyderabad on 8 May. The final handover took place on the evening of 8 May, after which both were arrested.

Crucial evidence, including Dr Chigurupati’s iPhone with incriminating WhatsApp chats and Balakrishna’s mobile phone, has been seized. Police noted that Dhakkar used disappearing messages to coordinate deliveries, indicating a sophisticated modus operandi.

The alleged kingpin, Vansh Dhakkar, remains absconding and a manhunt is underway. Police are also probing for other possible links in the local drug trade, as recent seizures by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence suggest an uptick in narcotics being smuggled via air routes into major cities.

Omega Hospitals, in response to the arrest, issued an official clarification on May 11, distancing the institution from Dr Chigurupati’s personal actions.