Bengaluru: The on-going probe into the drug racket involving Sandalwood actors Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani took various twists and turns with the actors and the high-profile event managers under arrest reportedly revealing around 20 names involved in the consumption of drugs at high-profile late night parties.
Most of them are reportedly children of politicians and film personalities.
Filmmaker and journalist Indrajit Lankesh, who reportedly revealed the involvement of Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani, insists he has given ample evidence to prove the involvement of family members of politicians. He said it is up to the government and CCB sleuths to use the information judiciously.
“I have given the names of politicians’ sons and film personalities [to the police]. I am confident that these people will be booked since the investigation is on the right track so far,” said Lankesh.
After the reported revelation of big names by the actors, police officers probing the drugs scandal in the state are reportedly under tremendous pressure. Their investigations have exposed a nexus between the drugs mafia and close relatives of some politicians.
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) has already named 14 accused in its first information report (FIR) — one of whom is Adiyta Alva, the son of late former minister Jeevaraj Alva.
Reports quoting sources in the Home Department said there are at least a dozen in the trade who have direct links to politicians and some of them are sons of established politicians — regardless of party affiliation — who represent Bengaluru.
The investigations have also led to a small rift in the ruling BJP. “It does not seem as if the government has given a free hand to CCB sleuths to investigate the drugs trade especially since several politicians’ sons are involved,” a senior BJP functionary was quoted in the media. “If they have been given a free hand, then why are the police not booking them when their names are already doing the rounds?”
However, several ministers of the BJP government insist they will not spare anyone.
Apart from the likely involvement of the high and mighty, what has come as a shock to the investigation team is that there were informers within the police department who kept tipping off the people involved in the drug racket.
One report said that drug-peddlers were alerted nearly two months ago about the impending police raids. But since nothing happened, the racket continued to function with extra care till the raid on August 25 that led to Ainkha Dinesh and two others.
The involvement of police insiders was revealed in the documents filed by Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths before a local court in connection with the drug racket. One of the accused named in the FIR had been tipped off by his police sources about “big-time tracking” by cops at the behest of joint commissioner (crime) Sandeep Patil.
Quoting sources, the ToI said the police are trying to find the source who tipped off Ravi or Ranka (two of the suppliers). “We’ve not ruled out an internal leak,” an official said.
