Tamil actor Srikanth has been remanded to judicial custody and sent to a first-class prison in connection with a spiraling drug scandal that has rattled both political and film circles in Chennai. The arrest comes in the wake of an expanding investigation that began with a bar brawl and led police to a tangled web of drug trafficking involving a former AIADMK IT Wing member, illicit financial transactions, and startling confessions from within the film fraternity.
The case traces back to the arrest of Prasad, a former executive of the AIADMK’s IT Wing, who was taken into custody following a violent altercation at a private bar in Nungambakkam last month. Prasad’s phone, seized during the arrest, offered a trove of incriminating WhatsApp messages. Upon scrutiny, police arrested Pradeep Kumar, the man believed to have supplied drugs to Prasad. It was during Pradeep’s interrogation that the name of actor Srikanth surfaced, setting off a new and sensational direction in the probe.
According to the police, Srikanth, who was working on the film Theengarai, which is being produced by Prasad, confessed that drugs were used during the film’s production. He claimed that it was Prasad who offered him the narcotics under the pretext that they were needed for the actor’s performance. The police subsequently summoned Srikanth for questioning at the Nungambakkam police station and sent his blood samples for forensic testing.
When the test results came back, confirming drug use, Srikanth was formally arrested and named the third accused in the case. He was produced before the 14th Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Egmore, which remanded him to judicial custody until July 7. The court also ordered that he be kept in a first-class facility owing to his public profile and ongoing health issues reportedly concerning his child.
Sources within the police department say Srikanth is believed to have purchased drugs over 40 times. Investigators have unearthed financial transactions amounting to Rs 4.72 lakh that were allegedly made by Srikanth to Pradeep through Google Pay, further strengthening the prosecution’s claims of sustained involvement.
Despite the serious charges, the actor reportedly told the court that he had not distributed the drugs to anyone and only used them personally. He appealed for bail, citing his child’s illness and asserting that he would not abscond and would fully cooperate with the investigation. However, the magistrate declined to entertain the bail request and advised the actor to approach the special court that handles drug-related offenses. Srikanth’s legal team filed a formal bail application earlier today.
Meanwhile, police investigations are continuing in multiple directions. Officials have revealed that the drug supply chain may extend beyond Tamil Nadu, with links to a Nigerian national based in Bengaluru. The authorities are now probing whether more individuals from the film industry were involved.
Prasad, the former AIADMK functionary at the center of the case, is also under scrutiny for several unrelated charges, including cheating and promising government jobs to unsuspecting citizens. Three separate FIRs have been registered against him in Nungambakkam and Mylapore police stations.
The Chennai police have indicated that this case is part of a wider crackdown on drug consumption and trafficking within the entertainment industry. The law will take its course based on evidence and proper procedure, said a senior police officer close to the investigation.