HYDERABAD: Chilling details of sex trafficking of Tollywood actresses to the US include names of two top southern starlets. The expose followed the arrest of kingpin Kishan Modugumudi alias Sreeraj Chennupati and Chandrakala by US federal agents in Chicago. Sreeraj worked as a production manager in Tollywood before running a flesh trade in the garb of Telugu meets abroad.
Sources in Tollywood said of five trafficking victims mentioned in the criminal complaint at Homeland Security Investigations in United States district court of North District of Illinois Eastern Division, the two well-known actresses hail from Bengaluru and Chennai.
Starlet Sri Reddy, who hit headlines for fighting the casting couch menace in Tollywood, told the media on Friday that the NRI couple had approached her too. “Usually when artists fail to get offers, they go to the US and are lured into prostitution. Artists are paid over $1,000, depending on their popularity,” she said.
Tollywood sources cite videos of the two actresses attending Telugu Association conferences in the US in which one of them thanked Sreeraj for helping her participate in the event in 2016. Sreeraj was also seen attending the event. Following the expose, Movie Artists Association has decided to hold a meeting on June 24 to discuss the issue.
Speaking to media, Movie Artistes Association president Shivaji Raja said, “We are aware of Kishan Modugumudi’s suspicious activities. He worked as a production manager and co-produced at least two films. We have been warning artists not to go abroad for performances with those with dubious antecedents. Few years ago, when I was vice-president, we noticed suspicious activity. Usually, artists are not aware of the visa type issued to them for attending conferences in United States, Dubai, Singapore or Australia. We are meeting on June 24 on the issue. We are requesting artists to inform MAA about performance schedules and attendance at events abroad so that we can talk to organisers or associations and verify credentials.”
In 2016, two actors Anasuya and Sampoornesh Babu criticised Sreeraj Chennupati for his alleged misbehaviour while extending an invite for a Telugu conference in the States.
Actor Anasuya told media, “I haven’t visited the United States for a long time. I attended an event with music composer Devisriprasad way back in 2014. In 2016, Sreeraj contacted me from his American number, asking me to attend a Telugu association event. I was uncomfortable with the way he spoke. He was talking about making a commitment. I refused to attend the event. Despite my refusal, he put my picture on poster. I tweeted saying, I have nothing to with the event.”
Prasanta Patnaik 
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