BENGALURU: The Central Crime Branch (CCB) police, probing the alleged drug case in the Kannada film industry, are said to have established that actress Ragini Dwivedi allegedly procured drugs from other accused in the case, Loum Pepper Samba, and had financial transactions with him. Samba, an African, was picked up a day after Dwivedi was arrested on September 4. CCB sources said that Ragini was not ready to reveal much about her involvement in the case, but the investigation exposed that she was in touch with Samba at least for the last six months.
“The actress told the investigators that she met Samba at a party and they were not friends. But we have established that they were in contact with each other for several months. The messages exchanged between them, which had code words, are like conversations between a seller and a buyer,” an official said. It is alleged that she procured drugs from Samba whenever she went to parties.
‘actress tried to destroy evidence’
While Samba came to deliver the contraband, Ragini allegedly sent one of her aides to collect it. The financial transactions between the duo have been traced, but it is yet to be confirmed whether they were directly linked to drugs, the official said. The actress allegedly tried to destroy evidence by deleting all the messages between her and Samba. “But our technical experts managed to retrieve those messages,” the official said. The CCB police arrested another person related to the case on Monday. The accused, Niyaz, who is from Kerala, has settled in Bengaluru for the last five years, the police said. His role in the case is not revealed yet.
Not protecting anyone:
CM Bengaluru: Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Monday said there was no question of protecting anyone with regard to the case, adding that the government has taken tough measures against it.