The 1st Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate on Monday remanded six accused in the Bengaluru drug case to judicial custody including actors Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjana Galrani. Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep patil said that the accused would be in judicial custody till September 16, which is the day of the bail hearing.
According to the CCB, Ragini Dwivedi, Sanjjana Galrani, Loum Pepper, Rahul Tonse and Niyaz, were produced before the magistrate via video conference. The CCB alleged that the accused were a flight risk and could also tamper with evidence when they were produced before the magistrate.
Actor Ragini's counsel told the court that she needs to be given special medical attention due to a slip disk issue. The court has instructed the officials to provide the necessary medical aid, police said.
The accused will be shifted to Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru.
The court, however, remanded party planner Viren Khanna and Ravi Shankar to four-day police custody. “The actors will be shifted to the women's cell. We are waiting for the written court order so we can transfer them to jail,” the CCB official said.
Ragini Dwivedi was arrested on September 4 after her friend Ravi Shankar was held by the CCB for allegedly procuring and distributing drugs. Soon after, Rahul Tonse, a close friend of Sanjana, was also arrested. Police say that based on Rahul’s statement, Sanjana Galrani was arrested on September 8.
The police arrested Viren Khanna on September 4. He was accused of organising parties, inviting these actors and also procuring drugs for those who attended these parties.
Loum Pepper, a Senagalese national was arrested on September 5. The CCB sleuths suspect that Viren Khanna bought drugs from Loum Pepper. The CCB also found 10 gm of MDMA at Loum Pepper’s residence.
The accused have been booked for criminal conspiracy and under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. CCB sources say that the probe into alleged drug trafficking in the Kannada film industry had begun weeks before the arrests were made. Police are relying heavily on digital evidence allegedly found on the phones of the accused persons.