The Karnataka Central Crime Branch (CCB) has arrested actress Ragini Dwivedi for alleged use of banned drugs in the Kannada film industry, police said on Friday. "We have arrested Ragini to investigate her alleged involvement in the use of banned drugs and her links with drug peddlers after questioning her day-long," Bengaluru Joint Commissioner of Police Sandeep Patil told reporters here.
Earlier on Friday, seven CCB sleuths, including a woman police inspector, raided her flat at Yelahanka in the city's northern suburb with a search warrant from a local court to find out if banned drugs were kept in her house. "Ragini will be produced before a magistrate after medical check-up for her custodial interrogation into her use of narcotic substances at rave parties in the city over the months," said Patil.
The #Karnataka Central Crime Branch (CCB) has arrested actress #RaginiDwivedi for alleged use of banned drugs in the #kannadafilmindustry, police said on Friday.
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— IANS Tweets (@ians_india) September 4, 2020
"We have booked Ragini under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act," CCB assistant commissioner of police K.P. Gowtham told IANS. In a related development, the CCB also arrested in New Delhi Viren Khanna, an accused in the drugs case for organising parties for celebrities.
"Khanna is being flown to Bengaluru from Delhi by our inspectors Sridhar Pujar and Lakshmikantiah," said Patil. With the arrest of drug peddlers Ravi Shankar on Thursday and Rahul Shetty on Friday, the CCB has taken 4 persons into custody in connection with the abuse of banned drugs like marijuana, cannabis, cocaine and hashish at rave parties of celebrities, including actors of Sandalwood as the Kannada film industry is also known.
"We have arrested Rahul Shetty, a real estate agent, for peddling drugs to Kannada film actors and musicians at rave parties in the city on leads we got while investigating the drug links in the Sandalwood industry," Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Kamal Pant told reporters here. He further added, “Investigation into the drug links of the Sandalwood has been going on for over a month now. Seizure of drugs in another case led us to Shankar, who is an official in the state road transport office (RTO) in the city's upscale Jayanagar suburb. Shankar explained in detail to our team about his activities. He revealed many other connections. Based on his revelations, we have initiated a second layer of investigation into the drug links of the Kannada film industry. Preliminary investigations revealed that many among the high and rich are involved in drug peddling and consuming. Shankar and Shetty also supplied drugs to a foreign national on whom we have zeroed in.”
CCB sleuths got more leads from Shankar's mobile phone and statements he made since his arrest and after he was remanded to five-day police custody for interrogation.
