NCB busts celebrity drug racket in Bengaluru; Sandalwood actors, musicians under lens

Close on the heels of celebrity drug supply racket issue rocking Bollywood following the death of Hindi actor Sushanth Singh Rajput, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), has busted a racket in Bengaluru, that supplied drugs to VIPs as well as Sandalwood celebrities.

The NCB has arrested the racket kingpin and former television actress Anika D and two of her associates M Anoop and R Ravindran, while confiscating large haul of drugs.

NCB Deputy Director KPS Malhotra said that the gang distributed drugs to prominent musicians and top actors in Karnataka and the receivers, including children of VIPs in the state are under scanner of NCB.

The agency has seized 145 ecstasy or MDMA pills and over Rs 2.2 lakh cash from Royal Suits Hotel Apartment, Kalyan Nagar on August 21. In the follow up action, the team confiscated 96 pills of MDMA and 180 LSD blots at Nikoo homes in Bengaluru. Later, 270 pills of MDMA were recovered from the house of Anikha D, located at Doddagubbi.

Ravindran was the main distributor, after the receivers booked their drugs online. NCB officials found over 2000 numbers saved in his mobiles, which included at least 10 top Kannada cinema actors, prominent musicians and children of VIPs. Besides, he also used to supply drugs to college students.

Anikha was a small time television serial actress in Bengaluru. She stopped acting and took to narcotic supply. With her glamour industry background, she established contacts with celebrities and started supplying drugs to them.