IPL players Parnell, Sharma test positive for drugs

PTI

Mumbai, 20 Jul 2012: Two IPL players- Wayne Parnell from South Africa and Rahul Sharma, are among 42 persons, who tested positive for consumption of drugs in a high-profile rave party at a plush hotel in suburban Juhu in May, making their arrest inevitable, police said today.

 

Police today received reports of blood samples of 44 of the 90 people, who had attended the sundown party at Oakwood Premier Hotel in Juhu in May.

 

"Of the 44, two females tested negative, while the rest are positive," Deputy Police Commissioner Pratap Dighaokar told PTI.

 

These 44 people include two IPL cricketers Parnell and Sharma (both played for Pune Warriors India) and 38 women, police sources said.

 

On June 22, city police had declared the results of 46 of the 90 people’s blood samples, who attended the party, in which 44 tested positive, police said.

 

Police had on May 20 raided the posh hotel and rounded up 90 patrons, including foreigners, following specific inputs about the presence of drugs at the party. They were let off after their urine and blood samples were taken.

 

All those who tested positive would face arrest, another police official said, adding the procedure to arrest would start soon.

 

Among those tested positive in today’s report, 35 had consumed cannabis, three had consumed cannabis as well as cocaine and four others had consumed cannabis and MDMA (better known as ecstasy, a drug usually taken in a pill form).

 

However, police did not reveal their names.

 

With today’s blood sample report, all the 90 persons’ results for drugs test were out, police said.

 

"Going by the previous blood sample report and today’s report, we can now say 86, out of the 90, have tested positive for drugs. Those four tested negative include two males, identified as Amrit Sagar, grandson of Ramanand Sagar, director of television serial ’Ramayan’ and Rahul Sughand," the officer added.

 

A rave is essentially an unofficial party held without permission, usually outdoors or in basements, and is known for the use of trance music, drugs and psychedelic lights, police said.

 

The invitations for the party were sent through internet. On the invitation, it was mentioned that "support the music and not the drugs."

 

Of the 4,000 (music) tracks seized from the DJs at the party, 95 per cent tracks were of trance music, police said.

 

A day after the raid, the police had also arrested Vishay Handa, the director of the hotel, under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

 

Actors Apurva Agnihotri, Anshuman Jha, Parth Sharma, Amit Gaur, famous fashion designer Rocky S, cricketer Bishan Singh Bedi’s son Angad Bedi, celebrities Rahul Dahia, Kartik Jobanputra, DJ brothers Dipesh Sharma and Rakesh Sharma and the hotel director Vishay Handa were among the 44 people tested positive, the results for which were announced on June 20 by police.