Bengaluru drug case: Cops retrieve deleted data from actor Ragini's mobile, Nigerian held with drugs

Bengaluru: A court here on Monday has extended police custody of Kannada film actress Ragini Dwivedi, who was arrested under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, by five more days.

The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Bengaluru had presented her before the First ACMM court through video conference as her police custody got over on Monday.

"Today Ragini was produced to the Court and on CCB request, the court has granted five days police custody of Ragini," Bengaluru Joint Commissioner Sandeep Patil said in a statement.

Crucial data retrieved

According to police sources, the actress, who was arrested on Friday, has not been cooperating with the investigation warranting the police to seek her custody for another five days.

Sources said the actress had deleted all her messages from her mobile phone in order to wipe out the digital evidence. However, the CCB officials managed to retrieve the data.

Ragini has admitted that she had used drug pills and attended night parties. The cannabis cigarettes seized from the actress' flat in Yelahanka have been sent for forensic examination, the sources said.

Investigations have also indicated that people close to political leaders may also be involved in drug dealings.

Search on for Aditya Alva

In the drug case involving high profile people, six have been arrested including Ragini Dwivedi while hunt is on for seven others named in the twin FIRs. Those at large include former minister late Jeevaraj Alva's son Aditya Alva.

According to police, Aditya Alva's house in the posh Sadashivanagar here is locked, raising suspicion that he must be hiding in Mumbai.

Aditya, who is also the brother of Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi's wife Priyanka, is a real estate businessman.

The PA of a prominent political leader is also involved in the smuggling of cannabis (ganja) from Andhra Pradesh to Bengaluru, the sources said.

Two drug peddlers arrested

Meanwhile, two people including a Nigerian national were arrested with drugs worth Rs 13 lakh, police said on Monday.

The duo, identified as Ogologo (35), a Nigerian residing in Agara in Bengaluru, and Samson Sagay Raj (24), a resident of Halasuru in the city, were arrested with 500 grams of cannabis, 20 grams of MDMA, 10 Ecstasy pills and 530 grams of hashish oil, the police said.

They were allegedly selling drugs near the BMS Engineering Hostel under the Hanumanthanagar police station, the police said.

The information about Kannada film industry's connection to drugs were revealed after the arrest of TV serial actor Anikha D and her Keralite accomplice Anoop Muhammand of Kochi and Rijesh Ravindran of Thrissur on August 21.

BJP distances itself from actress Ragini

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka on Sunday said Ragini Dwivedi was never a member of the party and may have campaigned for it in the 2019 Assembly by-elections on her own.

Seeking to distance itself from the actress a day after her arrest, the BJP said it was against any sort of, or any form of anti-social activity by anybody.

"We disown Ragini Dwivedi. Hundreds of celebrities from different walks of life campaigned for the BJP 'voluntarily' during the 2019 bye-elections. Ragini Dwivedi may have been one among them," BJP spokesperson Captain Ganesh Karnik in a statement.

He clarified that Dwivedi was neither a member of the BJP nor the BJP had assigned her the responsibility of electioneering.

Stating that Dwivedi may have been involved in the campaign 'on her own', Karnik said the party is neither accountable nor answerable for Ragini Dwivedi's activities in her personal and professional life.

"We have nothing to do with it and we maintain distance from it," he added.

According to him, the BJP is totally against any sort of, any form of anti-social activity by anybody.

"We will neither encourage nor support such activities. Hence, we disown Ragini Dwivedi for her involvement in the drug racket," he said.