CCB makes first arrest in Sandalwood drug scandal

The Central Crime Branch (CCB) police probing alleged drug peddling and substance abuse by Sandalwood actors on Thursday made its first arrest.

Ravi Shankar, a 40-year-old clerk at the Regional Transport Office (RTO), Jayanagar, and a close friend of Sandalwood actress Ragini Dwivedi, was arrested by the CCB sleuths.

Interestingly, Ragini, who was supposed to appear before the CCB, sought time till Monday. However, the cops directed her to appear before CCB on Friday morning.

Sandeep Patil, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), said Ravi was arrested after enough details about his links and involvement in drug peddling were found. “He has been taken into five days police custody for further interrogation,” he said.

In the meantime, the CCB police have also detained Rahul Shetty, a real-estate businessman and a close friend of another actress Sanjjanaa Galrani. This apart, the police have also detained another person identified as Karthik Raj, who runs a restaurant in Koramangala.