FILE: Sanjjanaa Galrani. TOI
The event comes after the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) carried out multiple raids in Kerala on Wednesday, in connection with money laundering related to a drug trafficking case registered against Kodiyeri, son of the CPI secretary of state (M ), Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, in Bengaluru.
FILE: Kannada actor Ragini Dwivedi, detained by the CCB, arrives at the CCB office on Mysore Road. TOI
Reports citing relatives say his wife and children have been detained by Emergency Department officials, while the latter claim they refused to sign the documents and materials on the list seized from the home.
FILE: Bineesh Kodiyeri, son of Kerala CPI (M) leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, arrives to appear before Execution Directorate officials in Bengaluru. PTI
These developments are related to the Bengaluru drug case. We will explain everything about him Bengaluru drug case and on the key suspects and big names involved.
Sanjana, Ragini, and Prashanth’s Bail Pleas rejected
Earlier on Tuesday, the Karnataka High Court rejected bail requests from actresses Sanjjanaa Galrani, Ragini Dwivedi and Prashanth Ranka in connection with a case involving alleged drug abuse in the Kannada film industry.
A high court bench also rejected film producer Shiv Prakash’s advance bond in the case.
Previously, a special court (Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act) in Bengaluru had rejected the bail declaration of Sanjana Galrani and Ragini Dwivedi and a Rahul in the case.
The Kerala raid: The raid that started around 9:30 am continued until 8:00 pm at Bineesh Kodiyeri’s ‘Kodiyeri’ residence in Maruthamkuzhi. In the state capital, raids were carried out on the houses of his two friends and three commercial establishments in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.
In Thalassery, in Kannur district, a raid was carried out on the home of one Anas Valiyaparambath, who is an official of the Kannur District Cricket Association and a friend of Bineesh. A team of six officials from the Emergency Department arrived there.
The ED has found a mismatch in income and investment tax returns. Furthermore, the investigative agency claimed that Bineesh was operating using ‘Benamies’ to cover up his business trail and also amassed money through drug deals.
The main objective of the ED raid in Kerala is to find out about the investments made by Bineesh in these companies, which have been operating in Kerala for many years. One company is in auto accessories, while others are in quarrying and medical supplies respectively. At one company, Bineesh was previously on the Board of Directors.
Meanwhile, in a related development, the Punjab National Bank (PNB) has addressed the Debt Recovery Court, Ernakulam v. Bineesh and his two partners, Anand Padmanabhan and Arun S for defaulting on the payment of Rs 30.74 lakh for finance Old Coffee House, a restaurant in Shangumugham. The case has been published for November 25 for further processing.
What is the case of Bengaluru drugs?
More than 15 people have been arrested in the Bengaluru drug case, including film actresses Kannada Ragini Dwivedi, Sanjjanaa Galrani, rave party organizer Viren Khanna, real estate agent Rahul Thonse and some Nigerians.
Police launched an offensive against drug dealers, street vendors and consumers after the Office of Narcotics Control arrested three people from Bangalore two months ago with a drug trade.
According to sources, the trio told NCB detectives that they were supplying drugs to Kannada’s actors and movie singers.
The genesis
On Aug. 26, PTI reported that some “prominent musicians and actors” in Karnataka are under the Office of Narcotics Control’s scanner after a drug trafficking business recently broke out in the state, the federal agency said. The agency had said that it seized 145 ecstasy pills or MDMA and more than 2.20 rupees in cash from “Royal Suits hotel Apartment, Kalyan Nagar, Bengaluru” on August 21.
“In the follow-up action, the team seized 96 MDMA pills and 180 LSD stains from Nikoo’s houses in Bengaluru,” said Deputy Director of Operations for the Office of Narcotics Control, KPS Malhotra, in a statement, PTI added. .
“Later, a female drug supplier who had been primarily responsible for the case was intercepted and 270 MDMA pills were recovered from her home in Dodagubbi, Bengaluru,” Malhotra said.
Three people, M Anoop, R Ravindran and Anikha D, were detained by the agency during these raids, he said.
“The preliminary investigation has revealed that the defendants used to supply drugs to wealthy sectors of society, including prominent musicians and actors, as well as university students and young people,” Malhotra said.
“More people are likely to be detained in this regard by the NCB Bengaluru unit,” he said.
The federal anti-narcotics agency earlier that month arrested Rahman K for allegedly trafficking in ecstasy drugs.
“Rahman had been selling MDMA and other party drugs to his college students and neighbors,” the NCB had said.
“The investigation also revealed that the defendant had ordered MDMA pills online in exchange for Bitcoins,” it alleged.
A few days ago, the agency caught a couple in Mumbai for allegedly trafficking in this category of narcotics.
What is MDMA?
MDMA (methylenedioxy-methamphetamine), commonly known as ecstasy, is a mood-altering party drug and its perception is chemically similar to stimulants and hallucinogens. Produces a feeling of increased energy and pleasure.
According to officials, each ecstasy pill costs between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,500 on the domestic market.
According to the UNODC World Drug Report 2020, ecstasy continues to be manufactured primarily in Europe, particularly in Western and Central Europe.
“Europe accounts for two-thirds of the ecstasy labs dismantled worldwide,” the OCN had previously said.
The total amount of ecstasy seized worldwide has doubled over the period 2009-2018 and this is also reflected in the increasing popularity of such synthetic drugs in India, he said.
Who are the big names?
Besides Ragini Dwivedi, Sanjjanaa Galrani, rave party organizer Viren Khanna, real estate agent Rahul Thonse, there are others whose names were featured in the case in one form or another.
On October 15, PTI, citing police sources, reported that Bengaluru police raided Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi’s residence in Mumbai in search of “his brother-in-law Aditya Alva, who is wanted for a drug case.”
Aditya Alva ran away in a drug case registered at the Cottonpet Police Station, Bengaluru Deputy Police Commissioner Sandeep Patil said.
“Vivek oberoi is his relative and we got information that Alva is there … So a warrant was obtained and the Central Crime Division team went to his home in Mumbai,” the officer told PTI.
The police considered that the actor could be aware of his whereabouts, so the searches were carried out. However, they did not release the result of the raid.
Aditya Alva is the son of the late former minister Jeevaraj Alva.
According to sources, he has been absent for the past month since the police launched a crackdown on drug dealers, vendors and rave organizers.
Sanjana Galrani and her mother were arrested one day after they were arrested on September 8 by the Central Crime Branch (CCB), Bengaluru for their alleged involvement in the drug case. The mother-daughter duo were subsequently sent to the CCB office in Chamrajpet for further questioning.
Ragini was arrested on September 7 for her alleged involvement in the drug case.
The Canadian filmmaker Indrajit Lankesh and some other actors have also been questioned by the CCB on the matter. In particular, Lankesh had disclosed information about alleged drug use in Kannada’s film industry.
Aindrita Ray and Diganth have also appeared in front of CCB for questioning.
Who is Ragini Dwivedi?
Ragini Dwivedi (born May 24, 1990), actress and model, works primarily in Kannada films. As a model, she was a finalist in one of the major beauty pageants.
Who is Sanjjanaa Galrani?
Sanjjanaa Galrani, model and actress, is now known as Mahira. He made his film debut in the Tamil film Oru Kadhal Seiveer (2006). His Kannada film Ganda Hendathi (2006) was the subject of controversy. Sanjana appeared on Bigg Boss Kannada in its debut season and was a contestant on the Hindi reality show Mujhse Shaadi Karoge.
Who is Indrajit Lankesh?
Indrajit Lankesh is a filmmaker, producer and director of films in Kannada, Telugu and Hindi. He is also the editor of the weekly tabloid Kannada Lankesh Patrike. He is the son of the iconic writer, journalist and filmmaker P. Lankesh.
Who is Mohammed Anoop?
The central agency alleged that the “drug dealer” in the case, Mohammed Anoop, was a “benamidar” of Bineesh.
ED’s investigation stems from an investigation by the Office of Narcotics Control that claimed to have busted an ecstasy pill drug trade in Karnataka in August in conjunction with the arrest of Anoop and two other individuals.
Bineesh has claimed that he knew Anoop and his family and the latter had borrowed money from him and others to set up a restaurant business in Bangalore a few years ago.
With contributions from the agency
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