Eight persons were found to have consumed drugs during a joint anti-drug operation conducted by the Telangana EAGLE Force along with the Cyberabad Police at a concert held at Quake Arena on December 27.
The individuals were identified as Trisha (22), Mohan (23), Shravan (26) Riyaz (26), Sabrina (27), Vishal (27), Yashwanth (28), and Bharath (35). The concert featured Ukrainian artiste Artbat and was held amid heightened vigilance ahead of the New Year festivities.
According to an official statement from the EAGLE Force, the operation was launched based on specific intelligence that drug consumers were likely to attend the event. Surveillance was mounted well in advance and preventive checks were carried out at the venue using drug testing kits sourced from international medical technology firms.
Fourteen persons were screened during the operation, of whom eight tested positive for drug consumption. Five of them admitted to consuming drugs, while three initially denied it. The police said re-testing using different equipment confirmed the results. All those who tested positive were already under the radar of the EAGLE Force.
Officials said that the operation was deliberately limited in scale to avoid disruption to public order, despite inputs suggesting a larger presence of drug users at the event. The action, they said, was part of a broader preventive strategy as the State steps up monitoring during the festive season.
Published – December 28, 2025 07:07 pm IST
