Vivek Oberoi's home searched in drugs case involving relative
Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi's home was today searched by the Bengaluru Police in connection with a high-profile drugs case involving his brother-in-law, Aditya Alva. Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Bengaluru Police had obtained a court warrant to search Oberoi's house to check if Aditya had been hiding there, as per reports. Here are more details on this.
Aditya has been absconding since last month
Aditya Alva, the son of former Karnataka minister, late Jeevaraj Alva, is one of the accused in an ongoing drugs probe involving many influential members of the Kannada film industry, also popularly known as "Sandalwood." Aditya has reportedly been absconding since September 4. Apart from him, two other accused, Shivaprakash Chuppi and Sheik Faazil are also at large.
Wanted to check if Aditya was at Oberoi's house: Police
"Aditya Alva is absconding. Vivek Oberoi is his relative and we got some information that Alva is there. So we wanted to check. So a court warrant was obtained and Crime Branch team has gone to his house in Mumbai," a police official reportedly said.
12, including two actors, arrested in the case
At least 12 people have been arrested in this case. They include popular actors Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani, party organizer Viren Khanna, and realtor Rahul Tonse, among others. They have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. Other than the probe by the CCB, some of the co-accused including the said actors are also facing charges of money laundering.
What is the Sandalwood drugs case?
The current drug scandal had surfaced after Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) conducted raids at the residences of three drug peddlers in Bengaluru in August. Drugs like LSD, MDMA, and ecstasy worth more than Rs. 1 crore were seized and the three persons, including former television actor Anikha D, were arrested. Their arrests later indicated toward drug abuse among members of the Kannada film industry.
