Karnataka Central Crime Branch arrests Kannada actor Ragini Dwivedi in drug case

On Friday, the Karnataka Central Crime Branch (CCB) arrested actress Ragini Dwivedi for alleged use of banned drugs in the Kannada film industry.

Soon after the development, in a note addtional Commisisoner CCB said, "This is a big netwrok of drugs peddling and consumption..There are people like Viren Khanna who organise these high end parties and give a platform for drug consumption. Then there are celebraties and others who go there and consume like the film actress. Then the drug suppliers like Ravi and Rahul who supply the drugs bought through other drug peddlers, mostly foriegners. We wil be arresting accused involved in all the 3 areas that is orgainsing parties, consumption and peddling."

"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 as per IANS. 

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. "We have booked Ragini under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act," CCB assistant commissioner of police K.P. Gowtham told IANS.

Earlier, Central Crime Branch (CCB) had sent a notice to Kannada actress Ragini to appear before it for investigation in connection with a drug case. She has been asked by the authorities to appear at the CCB headquarters in Chamarajpet for questioning on Thursday morning.

However, Ragini did not mark her presence and took to her Instagram story to clarify the reason behind her absence. She wrote, "I am grateful for all the concern expressed by the public about a notice I received yesterday. As I received it at very short notice, I was unable to appear today before the CCB police. However, out of respect for the process of the law, my advocates have presented themselves before the police, have explained my difficulty in not being able to appear today and have sought time."

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.

Ragini, 30, entered the film industry with her debut movie `Veera Madakari` in 2009 and gained popularity for her stellar role in films like Kempe Gowda, Ragini IPS, Bangari and Shiva.

Earlier, noted Sandalwood producer Indrajit Lankesh alleged that at least a dozen Kannada film actors had links with narcotic drugs and were involved in drug abuse.

"I told the central crime branch police about the alleged involvement of a dozen Kannada film actors in drug trafficking and use of narcotics in the sandalwood (film) industry," Lankesh told reporters here in Kannada. The police had consequently summoned Lankesh for sharing details and names of actors who were involved in drug trafficking and use of banned drugs like ganja, hashish, charas and cocaine in the film industry.

"I have given names of a dozen actors and some documents in support of my claim on their links to drugs to investigate and crack the racket," said Lankesh.

Lankesh (43) is the son of late noted editor P. Lankesh, who launched the popular "Lankesh Pathrika" (weekly tabloid) in Kannada in the 1980s. He is also the elder brother of eminent journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead at her house in the city's southwest suburb on September 5, 2017, by unidentified assailants.