Actress seeks time to appear before CCB
Kannada film actress Ragini Dwivedi on Thursday sought time to appear before the Central Crime Branch in Bengaluru in connection with the drug racket that was busted on August 21. She was summoned to appear on Thursday, but in a series of tweets, she said, “I am grateful for all the concern expressed by the public about a notice I received yesterday. As I received it at a very short notice, I was unable to appear today before the CCB police. However, out of respect for the process of the law, my advocates have presented themselves before the police, have explained my difficulty in not being able to appear today and have sought time. I am committed to appear on Monday morning before the police.”
In another tweet, she said: “I consider it my duty as a citizen to humbly participate in any questioning that the police might have. I have nothing to hide and have no connection with any unlawful activity which is being probed by the CCB police.”
It was with the arrest of Anikha Dinesh and two others by the
Narcotics Control Bureau that led the police to widen the probe as the arrested people had links with actors and musicians in Sandalwood. Later, prominent director Indrajit Lankesh said he knew the names of actors who used drugs in rave parties. The police subsequently summoned him and he reportedly gave a list of people known to be using drugs that included Ragini’s name. Meanwhile, Anoop Muhammed, one of the arrested persons, told the police that he was being financed by Binesh Kodeyeri, the son of Kerala CPM General Secretar y Kodeyeri Balakrishnan, for running a hotel in Bengaluru. It was from this hotel that the drug mafia allegedly operated. Anoop reportedly called Binesh 78 times with the last conversation being a day before Anoop found himself in police custody.