Drugs case: ED gets 5 days custody of Kannada actresses Ragini Dwivedi, Sanjjanaa Galrani

Bengaluru, September 25

A special court here has granted the Enforcement Directorate five days custody of Kannada film actresses Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani and three others, who were arrested in a drugs case.

Dwivedi, Galrani, Rahul Thonse, party organiser Viren Khanna and BK Ravishankar, whose custody ED has sought, are accused of not only consuming drugs but also supplying them in parties through the drug peddlers.

In its submission to the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Special Court, the ED said the preliminary inquiry of the money laundering investigation revealed a huge amount of proceeds of crime in money laundering activities.

“If such proceeds of crime involved in money laundering are not attached or confiscated immediately, the objects of the Act shall be defeated,” the ED said in its submission.

The ED said to unearth or trace the properties, which are acquired by the accused “by way of extortion, killing, dealing of drugs etc, recording written statements from the accused person is essential to know the details of properties purchased and investments made out of the proceeds of crime”.

Meanwhile, a Nigerian drug peddler Ossy, who was reportedly supplying drugs to bigwigs involved in the drugs case, has been arrested, a Central crime branch official said.

According to police, he is allegedly an associate of Simon, another Nigerian drug peddler already arrested.

Police seized some synthetic drugs from his possession, the police said.

The police have arrested 15 people in connection with the case while many others are at large.

A report from Mangaluru said dancer-choreographer Kishore Aman Shetty and his aide Aqeel Nausheel, charged with drug consumption and peddling, were on Friday remanded to judicial custody till October 9.

They were produced before the special sessions court by the narcotics crime police through video conference on expiry of their seven days police custody today.

The two were arrested by central crime branch (CCB) police on September 19 on charges of possession, consumption and peddling of drugs.

Aska, a woman from Manipur who partied with Shetty and Tarun, his close friend, have also been arrested in connection with the case. PTI

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