Sandalwood drug case: ED officials visit CCB office, seek details of Viren Khanna, others

Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials visited the Central Crime Branch (CCB) office in Bengaluru on Thursday morning and reportedly collected details of Viren Khanna, who is one of the main accused in the Sandalwood-linked drug case.

Khanna is alleged of having links with the foreign drug peddlers and importing drugs from them. Since there was a transaction of money between foreign peddlers and the accused persons arrested in the case, officials are suspecting a hawala transaction.

According to CCB officials, the ED officials visited their office around 10.30 am. They met the senior officers of the CCB and collected details about the seizures made at Khanna's house and at the residences of two actors, Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani, along with her friend Rahul Thonse.

A senior officer of CCB said that Sanjjanaa was in contact with a close aide of an MLA. Officials had searched on the MLA's aide house and had seized some materials. He is at large and his family members have assured the officials to make him surrender by 5 pm.

If his role in the drug peddling and hawala transaction is proved by primary investigation, the MLA would get into a big trouble as ED officials may then register a case after they get details from the CCB.

The ED officials also collected details about the actors and the MLA's aide attending a party in a casino in Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, the CCB officials have taken both Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani to KC General hospital in Malleswaram after they complained of health issues.

Sanjjanaa had been complaining of health issues from the day she was arrested, so she will be subjected for treatment. However, it is believed the main reason for taking them to the hospital is to subject them to dope test.