YSRCP youth leader among 3 students held with LSD in Vizag

Visakhapatnam: Vizag city police have arrested three students, including a youth leader of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), for possession of synthetic drugs. A total of 48 Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) blots were seized from the trio, who are all known to be friends.The accused have been identified as Pulagam Konda Reddy (23), a second-year MBA student and YSRCP youth leader in Vizag; Murada Geeth Charan (21), a final-year engineering student from Gudivada in Krishna district; and Tangi Harshavardhana Naidu (22), also a final-year engineering student. Police have launched a manhunt for another suspect, Shanthana, a resident of Bengaluru.Deputy commissioner of police (law and order) D Mary Prashanthi stated that based on credible intelligence regarding drug trafficking, a special team was formed. The three students were apprehended near the Vizag railway station, where the LSD blots were recovered.Investigations revealed that Geeth Charan procured the drugs from Shanthana in Bengaluru on behalf of Konda Reddy and Harshavardhana Naidu. Konda Reddy paid Rs 25,000 for the LSD and also arranged Charan's travel.The trio, known to be close friends, regularly consumed alcohol, cannabis, and other narcotics. When they ran out of supplies, Konda Reddy contacted Charan to procure LSD from Shanthana—an acquaintance of Harshavardhana Naidu.Charan flew to Bengaluru on Oct 31. The next day, Konda Reddy finalized the deal with Shanthana over the phone and transferred Rs 25,000 via the UPI account of his friend, Donka Ganesh. Shanthana purchased 50 LSD blots, gave 48 to Charan, and retained two for personal use.Charan returned to Vizag by train on Nov 2. Upon arrival, he was instructed by Konda Reddy to wait outside the railway station. When Konda Reddy and Harshavardhana Naidu arrived to collect the drugs, all three were apprehended by the Fourth Town Police and the City Task Force.