On 10 August 2020, members of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) made simultaneous drug raids in Mumbai and Bengaluru relating to an alleged international MDMA (ecstasy) drugs racket.[1] Based on evidence collected during the raids, the NCB made arrests of three other individuals on 21 August. Police said they had seized ₹2.2 lakh cash and 145 MDMA pills. According to police, one of the accused had a diary allegedly containing the names of 15 celebrities: including reality television personalities, musicians, actors in Kannada cinema and models, who the accused claimed were regular customers.[2] The police claimed these accused were selling their products to affluent sections of Bangalore society. Other searches were made at properties allegedly belonging to major Kannada film stars. In light of the busts, Kannada filmmaker Indrajit Lankesh alleged 15 members of the Sandalwood were involved in the drugs racket, and accordingly gave a statement to the police.[3] As on 8 September 2020, six people were arrested in connection with the case, including two Kannada film actors: Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani, and Viren Khanna, a celebrity party organizer,[4][5] at whose house a police uniform was allegedly found.[6] Other children of politicians and other VIPs are also sought by the police in connection with the case,[7] including Aditya Alva, the son of former minister Jeevaraj Alva and brother-in-law of actor Vivek Oberoi, who allegedly rented out his property for parties at which drugs were consumed.[6] An FIR was registered against 12 people allegedly involved in the scandal, including Jayaprakash, a film producer, Dwivedi, Galrani, and Alva.[8][6] They were suspected of buying drugs from Loum Pepper Samba, an alleged drug peddler from Senegal.[9] The bail pleas of Dwivedi and Galraniwere rejected on 3 November. Bineesh Kodiyeri, son of a Kerala minister, had his house raided on 5 November as part of a money-laundering investigation relating to drug sales in Bangalore.[10]
The story has gained significant media attention and has led to statements from popular actors such as Yash and Shiva Rajkumar.[11] The story also took a political turn, as both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition Indian National Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) claimed each party was involved with the scandal. The BJP, in particular, sought to distance itself from Dwivedi, who, according to the party, "voluntarily" campaigned in the 2019 Karnataka by-elections for the BJP.[12] The arrest of Kodiyeri had political ramifications in Kerala, where his father, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, is a CPI-M leader.[10]
^"MDMA drug bust: NCB questions Bengaluru Congress corporator's son in Mumbai". www.thenewsminute.com. 2020-09-08. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
^"Sandalwood drug racket: Diary with names of celebrities seized". www.daijiworld.com. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
^"At Least 15 In Kannada Film Industry Into Drug Trade, Claims Filmmaker". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
^"Kannada actor Sanjjanaa Galrani arrested in sandalwood drug case". The Indian Express. 2020-09-08. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
^"Expect more surprises in drugs case". Deccan Herald. 2020-09-08. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
^ abcSwamy, Rohini (2020-09-10). "Drugs, big-ticket parties, police uniform — cops claim watertight case in 'Sandalwood racket'". ThePrint. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
^"Drugs in Sandalwood: Aditya Alva, Viren big names in Bengaluru Page 3 circuit". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
^"FIR registered against 12 in drug probe, Ragini Dwivedi's bail plea on Monday". Hindustan Times. 2020-09-05. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
^Bharadwaj, K. v Aditya; Gowhar, Imran (2020-09-19). "Kannada film industry and drugs | Cracking the world of make-believe". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
^ ab"Explained: What is the Bangalore drug case? Who are the big names involved". The Times of India. 2020-11-05. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
^"Yash And Shivarajkumar React To Sandalwood Drug Racket". in.style.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
^madhav, vinay (2020-09-05). "Sandalwood drug scandal takes a political turn in Karnataka". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
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