In a battery of recent arrests from film industry, the most high-profile being the arrest of Rhea Chakraborty on Tuesday, an unholy nexus of Indian filmdom and drug mafia is emerging to the fore.
On September 4, Kannada actress Ragini Dwivedi was arrested for allegedly being part of a drug cartel, along with several others from Kerala and Karnataka, including an African national. According to Bengaluru Police, the Narcotics Control Bureau had arrested several drug peddlers on August 21, which led them to Kannada film personalities procuring and passing on the drugs.
The glamworld and drug mafia links become clearer from the remand application of actor Rhea Chakraborty filed in Mumbai court by the NCB officials. The plea has stated that Chakraborty had been an active member of a “drug syndicate” and at times even financed for drug procurement along with his late boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput.
The Bureau said that Chakraborty’s disclosure/statement had made it clear that she was connected with drug supplies. Her involvement in the procurement of drugs and financial transactions is believed to be linked to Dipesh Sawant, Showik Chakraborty and Miranda, all three now in custody.
On Tuesday, while the national media was busy reporting arrest of actress Rhea Chakraborty in Mumbai, yet another Kannada actress, Sanjana Galrani, was arrested by the Central Crime Branch of Bengaluru Police in Sandalwood drug bust racket (Kannada film industry is known as Sandalwood a la Bollywood).
LokMarg spoke to several narcotics experts who reaffirmed that there exists a deep nexus between the glamour world and drug mafia in the country. Besides, Bollywood and Sandalwood, Telugu, Malayalam and other regional cine industries are involved in this cartel. Other than the film world, the fashion & advertisement are also believed to be the part of this nexus.