Viren Khanna who organises high-profile parties in Bengaluru arrested in drug case

Crime

Alongside his company, Viren Khanna founded the Bangalore Expats Club, an exclusive group for expats in the city.

TNM Staff

FIle image

Bengaluru celebrity party planner Viren Khanna, known for his exclusive events that catered to expat crowds in the city, was arrested on Friday in connection with a drug case that also involved actor Ragini Dwivedi. Officers with the Central Crime Branch arrested Viren Khanna in New Delhi and he will be brought back to Bengaluru.  Read: Bengaluru drug bust: Actor Ragini Dwivedi arrested, another actor's friend held Viren Khanna, was in Delhi over the last few days and a team of CCB travelled to arrest him. He has been taken into police custody for four days. On Friday, the CCB arrested Ragini after more than 7 hours of questioning. According to Joint Commissioner of Crime Sandeep Patil, his team is focusing on three areas- who procures, who consumes and who organises parties where the drugs are consumed.  Viren was known for organising high-profile parties in Bengaluru, and CCB sources allege that drugs were rampantly used at these events.  "This is a big network of drugs peddling and consumption. There are people like Viren Khanna who organise these high end parties and give a platform for drug consumption. Then there are celebrities and others who go there and consume drugs like the film actress. Then there are drug suppliers like Ravi and Rahul who supply the drugs bought through other drug peddlers, mostly foreigners. We will be arresting all the accused involved in the 3 areas that is organising parties, consumption and peddling," Patil said.  The officer however refused to divulge the exact charges against Viren and said this will be revealed in the remand application submitted in court.  Born and raised in Delhi, 35-year-old Viren Khanna moved to Bengaluru to study and started organising parties right out of college. He soon began his own venture, Viren Khanna Productions, through which he hosted events across the city. Alongside his company, he founded the Bangalore Expats Club, an exclusive group for expats in the city whose members he personally vets before allowing them to join. The club’s Facebook page, which has almost 30,000 likes, describes itself as, “The social community of expats and interns living and working in Bangalore city.” Through Bengaluru’s lavish party scene, which drew the city's biggest socialites, Viren became a well-known face and soon amassed a following.  “What happens when a legendary party spot teams up with one of the most happening experience curators in town?” a blog wrote about a party Viren was throwing at Opus in Bengaluru. It wasn’t long before he was hosting some of the most exclusive and sought-after parties in the city, primarily for the significant expat community that lived in the city. In a 2014 profile for GQ Magazine, he was dubbed ‘Bengaluru’s King of Expats.’   According to the GQ story, Viren would also often host after parties at his own home, where he would often face multiple noise complaints. The article also noted that Viren had entered into revenue-sharing agreements with star hotels in Bengaluru, and had also partnered with several alcohol brands in the city and brought them in as sponsors for the parties he organised. 

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Sandalwood actor Ragini Dwivedi arrested in Bengaluru drug case. Here's why

Crime

The Bengaluru police on Friday evening arrested actor Ragini Dwivedi in connection with the drug case.

TNM Staff

Sandalwood actor, Ragini Dwivedi, was arrested by the Central Crime Branch police on Friday, for her alleged involvement in a narcotics case  After over eight hours of questioning, Ragini was arrested by CCB sleuths.  Sources in the Central Crime Branch told TNM that right from the beginning of questioning, Ragini was evasive and did not answer questions. CCB sources said that they had gathered circumstantial evidence from the cellphone of Ragini’s friend Ravi Shankar, who was arrested earlier on Thursday. Based on this circumstantial evidence, the CCB was able to obtain an arrest warrant and have accused the actor of consuming drugs. CCB sleuths told TNM that they want to take Ragini Dwivedi into police custody for at least seven to fourteen days for further interrogation. She will be produced before the ACMM court. Ragini had applied for anticipatory bail at a Bengaluru sessions court. According to CCB chief Sandeep Patil, there is a big network of drugs peddling and consumption. "There are people like Viren Khanna who organise these high end parties and give a platform for drug consumption. Then there are celebraties and others who go there and consume like the film actress. Then the drug suppliers like Ravi and Rahul who supply the drugs bought through other drug peddlers, mostly foreigners. We will be arresting accused involved in all the 3 areas that are organising parties, consumption and peddling." Socialite and party organiser Viren Khanna, too has been arrested in the same case. Two CCB inspectors arrested Viren from New Delhi on Friday. CCB sources alleged that Viren Khanna used to organise high profile parties where drugs were rampantly used. Sources say he was in Delhi over the last few days and a team of CCB travelled to arrest him and have taken him into police custody for four days. 35-year-old Viren Khanna is the Managing Director of Viren Khanna Productions. He started organising parties right out of college. He started the Bangalore Expats Club, whose members he personally vets. Sources say that Viren, who made a living out of organising events, used to organise high end parties in Bengaluru too though his company Viren Khanna Productions. The company was involved in organising parties at various private locations, farmhouses and nightclubs in Bengaluru. His clientele included several socialites and expats.  Ragini is being taken for medical examination to the Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru where she will also be administered a COVID-19 test.  Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant said that the CCB had caught wind of another arrested accused, Ravi Shankar’s involvement in procuring drugs for celebrities after the sleuths had busted a marijuana racket earlier in August. Upon questioning the accused in the case, the CCB police allegedly began tracking Ravi Shankar’s movements. He was arrested on Thursday. Police Commissioner Kamal Pant said that Ravi Shankar allegedly confessed to having procured drugs for high end parties. An analysis of his cellphone allegedly led them to suspect Ragini Dwivedi’s involvement in the case, Kamal Pant said. 

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Bengaluru drug bust: Actor Ragini Dwivedi arrested, another actor's friend held

Crime

The police said that actor Ragini Dwivedi’s friend used to procure drugs from a foreign national.

Theja Ram

The Bengaluru police's Central Crime Branch on Friday arrested actor Ragini Dwivedi in connection with the drug case. The actor was questioned for almost 7 hours since 11 am. Earlier, an FIR was registered in which one of Ragini’s friends was named, and so was another man who is a friend of Sandalwood actor Sanjjana Galrani. Ragini had applied for anticipatory bail but the hearing was postponed to Monday, September 7. Her application will now be treated as one for regular bail and she will be produced before a judge via video conference. She is expected to remain in CCB custody till Monday. Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant said that the CCB began a probe into the case after the police seized a truck-load of marijuana in August. Upon interrogating the accused, the CCB learned that Ravi Shankar, a clerk at the Regional Transport Office in Jayanagar, was allegedly involved in procuring drugs and used to attend high end rave parties in Bengaluru. Ravi Shankar is a friend of actor Ragini Dwivedi. Many pictures and videos have surfaced on the media that show Ragini and Ravi at various parties. “We learned that the person working in the government office was related to someone in the film industry. While the CCB was investigating him (Ravi Shankar), we learned that he used to attend parties and provide drugs and also consume them,” Commissioner Kamal Pant added.  The CCB arrested Ravi Shankar on Thursday after questioning him for six hours. The police seized his cellphone and found photos and other evidence of the people who attended these parties with him. “After rigorous questioning, we learned that he was attending these parties and procuring drugs from various places. He has confessed to his activities and we are bringing in more people in connection with this case,” Kamal Pant said.  When asked about his connection with Ragini Dwivedi, Kamal Pant said that Ravi Shankar allegedly confessed to have been connected to her. “He used to procure drugs from a foriegn national and we will arrest this individual soon,” Kamal Pant added.  Ragini Dwivedi began her career in films in 2009 with Veera Madakari. She has acted in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi movies. Her popular films include Khandahar, Gandedhe, Namaste madam, Face to Face, Kicchu and Rambo Rajkumar. Meanwhile, the CCB has also arrested a close associate of Sandalwood actor Sanjjana Galrani named Rahul. A real estate business man and architect, Rahul allegedly used to visit countries neighbouring India and procure synthetic drugs, which he allegedly procured for various parties, where several celebrities from the Kannada film industry also attended.  “We arrested Rahul and after investigation, we have learned that he used to go to other countries to procure drugs and also that he and several celebrities attended parties abroad too. We have not issued any notice to actor Sanjjana. The investigation has just begun and we will take this one step at a time,” Kamal Pant added.  The police have taken suo motu cognisance of the issue and an FIR has been registered at Cottonpet Police Station naming Ravi Shankar and Rahul as prime accused in the drug case.    Minister CT Ravi issues warning    Speaking to the media on Friday, Karnataka Tourism Minister CT Ravi said that vested interests in the drug mafia were trying to intimidate the police and influence the investigation. He said that the state government would not be scared of prosecuting these individuals.  “Drug mafia is not something that came into being now. It has been there for a long time but there have been no actions taken in the past to get to the root of the issue and to eliminate the entire mafia. Our government is committed to eliminating the drug mafia. Members of the drug mafia are trying to influence the current investigation and our government is committed to bringing everyone involved to book,” CT Ravi said. 

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This Bengaluru cop teaches children of migrant workers before reporting for duty

Human interest

Shantappa Jadammanavar, a police sub-inspector in Bengaluru, teaches children in a migrant settlement in Nagarbhavi as they don’t have gadgets for online education.

Prajwal Bhat

When police sub-inspector Shantappa Jadammanavar left for work at 7 am on Friday morning, he took a detour from the route to his police station and reached a migrant settlement in Nagarbhavi in western Bengaluru. He was met by a cheering group of 30 children who live in the settlement. Facing the children in front of a white board, Shantappa sets aside his police duties and engages the children for an hour on vedic mathematics, general knowledge and value education.  "I have been doing this for twenty days now. The children here (at the migrant settlement) do not have gadgets for online education. So I decided that before my shift begins, I will come here and teach the children for an hour," Shantappa tells TNM. The police sub-inspector works at the Annapoorneshwari Nagar police station in Bengaluru and hails from Ballari district in northern Karnataka. "Most migrant workers in this settlement and in Bengaluru are from north Karnataka districts like Ballari, Koppal, Raichur and Gadag. I know the conditions the workers live in since I am also from the same region. My uncle was a labourer for ten years and lived in a hut like this. So I decided to help in any way I can with the education of the children," says Shantappa.  Shantappa lost his father at a young age and considers his uncle as a father figure in his life. He says he decided to start the classes since most children in the settlement are yet to begin their education in the current academic year and do not have facilities for online education. He says that he is not focusing on imparting academic education because he engages with students from class 4 to 10. "Teaching academic subjects will not work since it will not apply to every child. I try and give value-oriented education and teach them what I know of vedic mathematics, life skills and general knowledge," he says.  "I don't tell them to become police officers (laughs) but I tell them that they have to be good human beings and do their bit for society. This kind of value education is useful especially at a time teachers are not able to impart it in a classroom setting," Shantappa adds.   Shantappa's initiative drew praise from many people including Karnataka's Education Minister S Suresh Kumar who visited one of the classes held by the police sub-inspector. "I am proud of the police officer. While police officials have made the news for the wrong reasons, this kind of example increases the pride of the police department," Suresh Kumar said following the visit.  Schools in Karnataka are yet to begin functioning following the lockdown imposed over the coronavirus outbreak in the country. While private schools in the state turned to online education, students in government schools had to contend themselves with educational programmes run by the state government on television. 

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Next to Bengaluru IT corridor, but no decent internet providers here: Balagere residents

Internet

The residents plan to hold a meeting with local MLA Arvind Limbavali on Saturday, to seek a solution on the issue.

Soumya Chatterjee

Representational image

Bengaluru may be the Information Technology (IT) capital of India, but residents of a neighbourhood in the city, located close to the IT corridor or the Outer Ring Road area, say that they don’t have decent internet service providers. Most residents at Balagere allege that Zednet, a local franchise of a private internet service provider uses their muscle power in the area to keep competition off-limits in the neighbourhood. So as a result, the residents of Balagere say that they are forced to choose between government-run BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.) or the local cable operator run service. Some residents claim Zednet is locally run by a politically influential businessman who uses his political clout to do the same. Stating that their previous attempts to seek a remedy from the local authorities and elected representatives did not help, the residents are going to take part in a virtual meeting with local MLA and former Minister Arvind Limbavali on Saturday. The MLA’s office acknowledged the issue and said that steps will be taken to address the concerns of the residents following the meeting.  While the problem is not new, it has affected the community of 10,000 residents in times of the pandemic, with many forced to work from home and students made to attend online classes. Namma Balagere Welfare Society said, “Basic facilities such as the Internet are considered essential for the development of personality of every individual and to preserve human dignity. Even our Constitution emphasises on the fundamental unity of India by guaranteeing to all citizens, the access and use of the same facilities.” They also pointed out all neighbouring localities like Panathur and Gunjur have all major internet service providers. Taking to Twitter, Partha, a resident of the area said, “When the entire world is crying for COVID-19 and companies are asking for work from home, in Balagere, due to monopoly of some goons, other service providers are not allowed. It's impacting office work.” @BSYBJP @ArvindLBJP @TRAI @rsprasad @BalagereConnect @narendramodi @PMOIndia When entire world is crying for Covid and company asking for WFH in Balagere due to monopoly of some goons other Service providers not allowed. Its impacting office work https://t.co/OXxzL7R2y2 — Partha (@pp20218) March 20, 2020 Another resident Rohan said, “It’s a wait of more than three years to have a better internet service provider though the Balagere residential area is three km away from major IT parks. What is the road blocker for the development of the area?” It’s a wait of more than 3 years to have better internet Service provider though the Balagere residential area 3 km away from major IT parks .. What is the road blocker for the development of the area ?@BBMPCOMM @BBMP_MAYOR @ArvindLBJP @WFRising @ArshadRizwan @CTRavi_BJP https://t.co/tZhjdGL6Af — Rohan (@avilferns) September 4, 2020 Earlier, the residents had even submitted a memorandum to the BJP Mahadevapura President Manohar Reddy on September 1 based on the advice of the MLA himself. TNM has made attempts to reach out to the company in question.

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Passengers at Bengaluru airport can now see waiting times at gates, counters live

Aviation

A new tech-enabled queue system will reduce waiting times and help better manage passenger flow during peak hours, the airport authority has said.

TNM Staff

PTI

The Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru now has a new tech-enabled queue system to reduce waiting times, enhance operational efficiency and better manage passenger flow during peak hours amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  The airport will now have a display board with live waiting times on the screens at processing points, leading to lowered levels of stress for passengers as they will be able to better plan their travel through the airport.   200 sensors, called the  Xovis 3D sensors, will capture passenger flow data at departure gates, check-in, immigration, security hold areas of both domestic and international flights as well as visa sections. Data from the queue management solution will also help the team at Bengaluru airport prepare to manage passenger flow, decongest bottlenecks and plan resources efficiently. “This system empowers internal teams to plan resources well in advance with historical data available from the solution,” a release from Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) said. “At BIAL, our aim is to make Bengaluru airport the most digitally advanced and efficient airport in the world. This system is part of BIAL’s vision to enable journeys, create experiences and touch lives as part of the gateway to a new India,” said Jayaraj Shanmugam, Chief Operating Officer, BIAL. BIAL, has rolled this out with Xovis as its implementing partner. Xovis is a Swiss high-tech company that develops, manufactures and distributes 3D sensors and software solutions for people flow measurement. The company was founded in 2008 and now employs around 100 people located in Switzerland, the USA and China. " The ribbon-cutting ceremony last Friday was a significant moment, it reflected the collaboration and camaraderie we have experienced throughout this exciting project. We look forward to continuing this collaboration should there be a need for system extensions," said Xovis CEO, Andreas Fähndrich.   

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Stormy Monsoon session of Karnataka Assembly expected with over 10 bills to be tabled

Politics

Sources in the Congress said that the party approached the Speaker to extend the session to 14 days in order to give the Assembly time to discuss important bills.

TNM Staff

The monsoon session of the Karnataka Assembly is set to be held from September 21 to 30 and legislators expect a packed and chaotic session with the ruling BJP expected to table over 10 bills for consideration. Among the bills that the BJP is considering tabling are the Kannada University Bill, Prohibition of Beggary Bill, Land Reforms Bill, APMC Reforms Bill, Electricity Reforms Bill among others are on the cards.  Sources in the Congress said that the party approached the Speaker to extend the session to 14 days in order to give the Assembly time to discuss important bills but the session is set to go ahead according to the nine-day schedule drawn up.  The Congress led by Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will raise the issue of a fair probe into the violence reported in eastern Bengaluru in August. "I urge the government that the inquiry has to happen as soon as possible. It should be fair and the guilty should be punished," Siddaramaiah said. Retired judge Justice H S Kempanna has been appointed as the "Claims Commissioner" to assess the damage caused during the violence and to recover the costs from the culprits. The Congress has called for the monsoon session to be restricted to discussion on important matters including the COVID-19 crisis in the state. The party has asked for reforms to be pushed to a later date.   The Assembly is expected to be curtailed on day 1 as per protocol of adjournment due to the death of Sira MLA Satyanarayana.  The BJP communicated to the Opposition that 28 bills could be tabled including ordinances. A source close to JC Madhuswamy, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, said that some of the bills tabled are from the Congress' tenure and will not require much deliberation.  BJP leaders including Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar have called for bringing back the Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Bill.  The ban on cow slaughter in the state is as per the Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation, 1964. The act bans the slaughter and sale of cows, calves and she-buffaloes and in 2010, the then BJP government led by BS Yediyurappa attempted to widen the scope of the act. Even though it was passed in the Assembly, it did not gain the governor's assent and was later revoked by the Congress government led by Siddaramaiah in 2013. 

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