Actors Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani will remain in jail for now, a special court in Bengaluru said today, extending their custody, along with that of six others, in an investigation related to the illegal drugs market and its alleged links with the Kannada film industry.
Ms Galrani will remain in police custody till September 16 along with accused Viren Khanna, a high-end party planner, and Ravi - a clerk in the Road Transport Office with links in the Kannada film industry.
Ms Dwivedi and four others, including Ms Galrani's realtor friend Rahul, have been sent to judicial custody as their police custody was not sought.
The Central Crime Branch of Bengaluru Police started probing the drug menace in the Kannada film industry after prominent producer-director Inderjit Lankesh had appeared before the crime branch and shared information about the alleged use of drugs in the Kannada film industry; he had named 15 people.
Based on Mr Lankesh's inputs, the Crime Branch sleuths arrested Ravi, who led them to Ms Dwivedi. Ms Galrani was questioned based on the interrogation of a person named Nayaz. Both the actors have been subjected to a dope test.
A man of African descent has also been arrested by the Central Crime Branch. The man, Loum Pepper Samba, was reportedly supplying drugs to celebrities.
A search is on for more people, who are at large, the police have said.
The Enforcement Directorate is also investigating the financial aspects of the drug peddling and substance abuse case.
The scandal comes amid allegations of drug use surrounding the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June.
