Sandalwood Drug Case: TV host Anushree appears before police
Popular television anchor and actor Anushree on Saturday appeared before the police here for questioning in connection with allegations of drug use. She was summoned for questioning on her reported links with Kishore Aman Shetty, dancer-choreographer, who is in judicial custody on charges of consumption and peddling of drugs. Tarun, a close friend of Shetty, who has been arrested on the charge of drug consumption, had revealed to the police that Anushree had also attended Shetty''s party, after which she was summoned to record her statement.
Police sources said Anushree presented herself before the police at 9 am and is being questioned at the Panambur police station on the outskirts of the city. The state CCB police is investigating drug abuse among bigwigs, including those in the film industry, after the Narcotics Control Bureau arrested three people from Bengaluru with a drug haul. They were allegedly supplying drugs to Kannada film actors and singers.
Meanwhile, The special NDPS court in Bengaluru has granted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) five days custody of the Kannada film stars -- Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani -- along with other accused who have been arrested in a drug related case.
The ED in its petition stated that the accused persons have to be interrogated for their alleged involvement in a money laundering case pertaining to the drug racket in the Kannada film industry.
The infamous drugs case is popularly known as Sandalwood drugs case, in which high profile party organisers, foreign nationals as well as film stars have been booked.
Noted actresses Ragini and Sanjjanaa have been in judicial custody for the last two weeks.
The ED in its petition demanded that it wants to interrogate Ragini, Sanjjanaa, party organisers -- Viren Khanna and Rahul Tonshe -- besides second division clerk in Regional Transport Office (RTO) and Ragini's close friend Ravi Shankar.
The ED contended that the nature of this case is such that the prima facie charges booked against these accused persons could also attract several sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The ED also added that they had been probing the case since September 9 hence they needed to interrogate accused persons in this connection.
Hearing the petition, the special court granted a five-day custody of the accused to the ED.
