The Central Crime Branch police arrested dancer-actor Kishore Aman Shetty and another man from Mangaluru, allegedly for drug peddling and consumption. Shetty is a well-known celebrity in the coastal region, who rose to fame after he participated in the television reality shows like 'Dance India Dance' and featured in the Bollywood superhit flick ABCD: Anybody Can Dance, directed by Tamil dancing sensation Prabhu Deva.
The other man, identified as 28-year-old Aqeel Nausheel, has been arrested for allegedly possessing synthetic drug MDMA.
"The CCB police arrested the accused (Shetty and Aqeel) on Sunday morning. They purchased drugs from Mumbai and sold the contraband in Mangaluru," Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Vikash Kumar Vikash told reporters.
The police alleged that both procured drugs from Maharashtra and Bengaluru to sell them in Mangaluru to students, among others.
The police seized MDMA, a motorcycle and two mobile phones from their possession. Aqeel earlier worked as a safety officer in a Gulf country but returned to India around a year ago. Shetty also allegedly got involved in selling the drug for easy money. A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act was registered against the duo.
Meanwhile, in Bengaluru too, the police made fresh arrests in a drive against illegal drug trafficking on the same day. The CCB in Bengaluru on Saturday arrested two African nationals, for allegedly possessing ecstasy tablets, LSD strips and a weighing machine.
The police are said to have recovered 134 ecstasy tablets, 25 LSD strips, two mobile phones and two two-wheelers each from their possession.
Bengaluru City Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Patil said that the African nationals were caught red-handed at OMBR Layout when they were trying to sell these banned substances.
According to the police, the accused, identified as Nigerian national Nonso Joachin (36), was residing at Pilla Reddy Nagar, OMBR Layout. The accused, 25-year-old Trajori Ben, is an Ivory Coast national residing in Mother Theresa Layout in the city.
The police stated that both accused had arrived in India on a medical attendant visa, which they have clearly violated by indulging in such activities.a