ED joins Bengaluru police to probe into drug case

Enforcement Directorate joined the Bengaluru police in the drug case involving Kannada film stars. The police suspect if those involved had invested their black money in real estate in foreign countries.

Bengaluru: The Enforcement Directorate has joined the Bengaluru police in the ongoing investigation of the drug menace among bigwigs of Bengaluru including Kannada film stars, police sources said. "Yes, the Enforcement Directorate officials have approached us," a top police officer told on Thursday.

According to him, the ED has suspicion that these people were involved in money laundering cases. The Central Crime Branch of Bengaluru, which is investigating the matter, has booked 14 people so far in connection with the case. This includes actresses Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani, former minister late Jeevaraj Alva's son Aditya Alva, Viren Khanna, Rahul and B K Ravishankar.

Police sources said most of them frequently travelled to neighbouring countries and some of them had real estate businesses too. "They seem to have a wide network. There is also a suspicion that they would have invested the black money of their clients in real estate outside India," another police officer said.

On Thursday, the ED officials too joined the Central Crime Branch, CCB sleuths during the interrogation and grilled those who are in the police custody, police sources added.

Read: Actor Sanjana Galrani detained in drug case

The drug menace in the Kannada film industry came to light for the first time when the Narcotics Control Bureau raided a house on the city outskirts and arrested three persons including a woman Anikha. They revealed that they were allegedly supplying drugs to singers and actors in the Kannada film industry.

Following the revelation, the Bengaluru police too started its investigation and booked cases against 14 people. The ED officials suspect that some of the Bengaluru drug case accused had links with the Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling case accused.

So far, seven people have been arrested while others are being investigated, police sources said. Prashant Ranka was the seventh person to be arrested in the case.

PTI