Sandalwood drug case heavily hinges on digital evidence and call records

Crime

TNM spoke to CCB investigators and has pieced together the direction of the probe.

Theja Ram

The Bengaluru police have till Monday arrested ten people in connection with the drug case including actors Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjana Galrani. While no drugs were found in possession of the actors as material evidence, the Central Crime Branch sleuths, who are investigating the case, say that there is digital evidence indicating alleged procurement, distribution and usage of drugs. Although the case has received widespread coverage, one aspect remained a conundrum: With no material evidence, what are the charges against the accused and what digital evidence do the police have? So far those arrested include Ragini Dwivedi, Sanjjana Galrani, Ravi Shankar, Viren Khanna, Loum Pepper, Prashanth Ranka, Vaibha Jain, Niyaz, Pratheek Shetty, Rahul Tonse and Viren’s friend Aditya Agarwal.  The Central Crime Branch had allegedly begun their probe into the drug trafficking case weeks before actor Ragini Dwivedi was arrested. Police say that they have several call records, which is indicative of abetment to procure drugs, and hence Ragini, Sanjjana and Viren were charged with section 29 (abetment to procure drugs and criminal conspiracy) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. However, the CCB did not find any drugs in their possession, when search and seizure operations were conducted at their respective homes in Bengaluru.  CCB sources have accused actors Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjana Galrani of allegedly purchasing drugs and sharing it with people who attended parties organised by Viren Khanna. CCB said that digital evidence of the same was obtained from Viren’s phone. The investigators allegedly found a WhatsApp group which included the accused in the case and also several other people who were invited to Viren Khanna’s private parties. CCB sources said that this is considered as digital evidence, which is why the accused were charged with section 27 (financing drug trafficking and harbouring accused). However, here too, police have not mentioned any material evidence or financial transactions that could prove the links yet. The Enforcement Directorate is now looking into financial transactions of the accused as they suspect money laundering.  “There were chats where the accused made plans to organise parties, and also discussed procuring drugs,” the CCB source said. Police say the drugs were procured from another accused Loum Pepper, a Senegalese national residing in Bengaluru. In the entire case, the police have found drugs only from one accused-  10 gm of MDMA at Loum Pepper’s residence, after his arrest. According to the NDPS Act, possession of 10 gm of MDMA or more is construed as commercial quantity. The punishment for possession of commercial quantity of drugs under the NDPS is a minimum of 10 years and maximum of 20 years imprisonment in addition to fine up to Rs 2 lakh.  The police also found used butts at Viren Khanna’s residence on September 8. The CCB has sent these to the Forensic Science Laboratory to determine whether there were traces of marijuana or its byproducts. Police said that two other accused: Aditya Alva, brother-in-law of Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi and Vaibhav Jain, a gold merchant and party organiser, allegedly procured drugs from Mumbai for these private parties.  Police say that another accused, Ragini Dwivedi’s friend Ravi Shankar would also procure drugs for these parties. They also said that Ravi Shankar and the other accused were allegedly tipped off about the CCB’s probe into the drug trafficking. Police said that Ravi Shankar and Prashanth Ranka allegedly procured drugs from Pratheek Shetty, an alleged drug peddler, who was arrested in connection with the Rs 1.2 crore cocaine haul in 2018. Pratheek Shetty allegedly started peddling drugs again after he was out on bail in 2019.  The CCB has allegedly recovered a WhatsApp chat between Prashanth and Ravi Shankar. Ravi Shankar allegedly told Prashanth to not buy drugs as his sources informed him of an ongoing probe. Prashanth is said to have replied stating he had quit a while ago. The CCB sleuths have also mentioned this chat in their remand application for Ragini Dwivedi. Other than this, the police have not mentioned any other digital or material evidence.   

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How a night of rain turned a street in Bengaluru’s Narayanpura into a nightmare

Civic issues

The by-roads connecting Hennur and Tannisandra have been dug up for the past six months, converting the stretch into a slushy mess.

Apoorva GS

No ambulance, no fire brigades, no vendors, no public transport — the residents of Bengaluru’s Narayanpura residents have been facing this on a daily basis. The by-roads connecting Hennur and Tannisandra, which have been dug up for the past six months, are used by most of the localities. However, there’s no sign of repairing the broken roads and in addition to this, heavy rains like the kind Bengaluru witnessed in the past week, has turned the stretch into a nightmare.  Vani, a resident of the area, has been suffering from a slipped disk, after travelling on these roads every day. Sometimes her car even gets stuck due to heavy rains for which she has to pay 300 to 400 rupees to JCB or tractors to get her car lifted from the slush. She says, “It takes me at least 45 minutes to cover just 1.5 km to reach Hennur road from my apartment while going for work. It’s horrifying to drive back home from work because there are so many potholes without any warning signs and they are not even visible during the night time.” A few residents living nearby have also complained about many people who have met with the accidents due to the hundreds of uncovered potholes on the roads. They also shared that vendors, ambulances and fire fighting vehicles refuse to come because of the slushy roads.  Civic administration is one of the main reasons behind the sludge work. These by-roads were completely tarred a couple of months ago. By giving the reason for some incomplete civic work, the roads were again dug up with a promise of its completion within a certain period of time. However, residents alleged that they haven’t seen any positive results yet.  Ruchi, another resident in the locality, said, “The roads are dug up every now and then to lay pipelines and underground drainage lines. The construction work and false promises have become a never-ending tale for us. We cannot even walk down these roads due to the massive digging and zillion potholes. There are at least 400 families living in my apartment and a few old age people even have to go for dialysis and for other regular check-ups. But it has become a challenging job for them to walk on these roads.” Ruchi also mentioned a few old age people who had suffered from injuries due to the poor condition of the road. Several residents had previously taken to Twitter describing the unfortunate situation by uploading videos and pictures of the road condition in a hope that respected authorities will take accountability.  @BASAVARAJAMLA @BBMPCOMM @BSYBJP Pls help us the residents of Golden Palms Knarayanpura people unable to attend to any ER situation even today.@Tejasvi_Surya @tv9kannada Cut off from civilization pic.twitter.com/olLStnvuRl — Anshuman Kaushik (@akaushik1976) September 2, 2020 @BBMPCOMM @basavarajamla @tv9kannada the entire knarayanpura road (Hennur, Bangalore) is in a pitiable condition, something must be done immediately to rectify this. — Sudipta Sarkar (@sudipta_sarkar) September 7, 2020 V V URGENT : There is no way we can use our cars or bikes to commute to our residences in Golden Palm Road or Hennur - K Narayanapura Main Road. Can someone visit the area and do something immediately. Pls don’t wait for a mishap to happen. @BBMPCOMM @tv9kannada @BSYBJP pic.twitter.com/VTIZmaavuc — Nandish Ramamurthy (@nandishr) September 2, 2020 The residents say they have lodged a complaint on Sahay app and the response is still pending. This is not the first time that they have lodged a complaint, but they did not receive any response to similar complaints filed previously.

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IPL in UAE: Fan club Namma team RCB gets set to cheer and say ‘Ee sala cup namde’

Sport

The IPL will be held in UAE and spectators will not be allowed this year but fan clubs find other ways to cheer for their teams.

Rishab Vinay Malde

Fans play an integral role in sports, even when they are restricted from attending matches during the pandemic. One of the most passionate fan clubs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is 'Namma Team RCB', the loyal fanbase of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).  Ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League season, TNM spoke to Preetham Karigar, co-founder of the fanclub. Given that the IPL is set to happen in the UAE this year, running a fan club can be a challenge back home. "It is challenging as we cannot go to the UAE because we don't have the permission. Also because of the pandemic, fans are afraid to come out for meet-ups. We are not sure if we can conduct match screenings as well. If the RCB management arranges for something we could go as a fan club. We cannot plan many activities due to the current situation. But we will be active on platforms like Instagram and Twitter," Preetham said. The fanclub began in 2011 with 20-25 members on a Facebook group and in 2014, the fanclub created an Instagram page to increase their social media engagement. In the 2018 IPL, the fanclub took cues from West Block Blues, the fanclub of Bengaluru FC, to make banners for home games. The fan club has now expanded its social media presence and now has 53,000 followers on Instagram.  Speaking about what happens in a fan club, Preetham said, " We conduct fanclub activities on platforms like Instagram and Twitter. We also conduct events like fan meet-ups, going to stadiums during the home matches as a fan group, travelling as a fan club to away games, creating banners, match screenings, promos and also conducting blood donation camps during the matches."  One of the questions asked of RCB is the lack of local players in the team. When asked whether this makes the functioning of a fan club harder, Preetham said it is not the case. "When it comes to Bangalore, it is RCB. When it comes to Karnataka it is the Ranji team. We support RCB whether it has local players or even if there is someone like Virat Kohli, we will still support RCB."  However, he added that having local players in the side is important and the fanclub hopes to send the message to the team management. "We would still suggest to the team management, like we did last year, to pick up more Karnataka players. It is important to have local players because they will suggest to the team management as they would have played in the home ground." Taking an example of Indian cricketer KL Rahul, Preetham said," KL Rahul will know more about conditions at the Chinnaswamy stadium. So it is important to have local players."   "We cannot predict what happens at the auction table. However, a smart move would have been to retain KL Rahul in 2018. What happens at the auctions is not in our hands. It is left to the management. But players could have been retained and in the next seasons the team must look to pick local lads like Mayank, Karun, Manish Pandey etc," he added. He also addressed the slogan 'Ee sala cup namde' (the cup is ours this time) which has become synonymous with the team over the last few years. The same slogan has also turned into a source of derision due to the team's poor performances on the field. "The slogan cannot decide who will win or lose. In 2018 the hype was there. From the past 12 years RCB has not won the cup. So every year fans use the slogan thinking that the team will win this year. But it backfires. Using the slogan, however, is still not wrong. If we think the player's performance has gone down because of the slogan then it is not true," Preetham said.  Bengaluru is a cosmopolitan city and the complex issue of language can cause some problems. Preetham, however, differed with this, saying that it is not a barrier as RCB has a global fanbase. People are fans because of the famous players in the team as well. "The language barrier is not a threat as fan clubs are comfortable with English and Hindi as well," Preetham added.  He said that there are several challenges in running a fan club particularly in finding funds for fan engagement activities  "It is very difficult to run a fan club. When we do activities we need funding. Fan clubs have to do their own funding. We buy tickets as well from the management for every match and tickets in Bangalore are costly. Even for making a banner we need a lot of accessories, people and time. We do not get proper spots as well. It is not as easy as it looks like," Preetham said.  However, this year will be markedly different with no matches being held in India. 'Namma Team RCB' is hoping to raise its social media game and support the team from home this season. 2020 has been surreal in many ways and these ardent fans hope that a long overdue IPL title will lift their spirits this year.

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Mandya temple murders: Five arrested for killing three priests

Crime

The priests were asleep when thieves allegedly killed them with boulders.

PTI

Five people have been arrested in connection with the murder of three temple priests in Mandya after a brief encounter in the wee hours of Monday, police said. "We have arrested five people while four others are absconding. In all, there are nine people involved in this case," Mandya Superintendent of Police Parashurama K told PTI. He said eight of them hailed from Mandya and Ramanagara districts while one was from Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh. The nine had brutally murdered three temple priests- Anand, Ganesh and Prakash- in their sleep inside the Arkeshwara Temple in Mandya town on the night of September 10. The priests were also the security guards of the temple, police sources said. After killing them, the robbers had decamped with the currency notes in the donation box and did not take the coins. Police launched a massive manhunt for the accused and got information that some people were moving around in a suspicious manner at a bus stand in Maddur Taluk in Mandya district. When the police surrounded them and asked them to surrender, they tried to escape after attacking the policemen with sharp-edged weapons and injured an inspector, police sources said. "The police had to open fire in self-defence. At least three of them received bullet injuries in their legs," a police officer told PTI. Police are verifying their involvement in other crimes. It is suspected that they had robbed another temple in the town.  

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Bengaluru has 19,680 active containment zones, RR Nagara highest at 4689

Coronavirus

Bengaluru West reported 2,881 active containment zones closely followed by Bommanahalli with 2,880.

TNM Staff

Image for representation: PTI

Bengaluru has reported a total of 29,588 containment zones out of which 19,680 are active while 9,908 have returned to normal, data published by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) showed. The BBMP said that RR Nagara had the most number of active containment zones in the city at 4,689, followed by Bengaluru South at 2,960. Bengaluru West reported 2,881 active containment zones closely followed by Bommanahalli with 2,880. Bengaluru East reported 2,111 active containment zones. Only Mahadevapura, Yelahanka and Dasarahalli have less than 2,000 active containment zones at 1,917, 1,210 and 1,032 respectively. Officials said that 67% of containment zones remain active while 33% have returned to normal. Meanwhile, Karnataka reported 9,894 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday taking the overall tally to 4,59,445 while 104 deaths pushed the state's death toll to 7,265. As per the state Health and Family Welfare department, 8,402 patients were discharged in a 24-hour period ending on Sunday, pushing the total recoveries in the state to over 3.5 lakh mark. Among the fatalities, a 96-year-old patient from Tumkuru is the oldest one and a 21-year-old from Dakshina Kannada is the youngest. As many as 45 out of total 104 deaths reported on Sunday were from Bengaluru Urban, followed by Mysuru (15), Ballari (8), Dharwad (7), Shivamogga (5), Hassan (4), Dakshina Kannada, Koppal and Tumakuru (3), Gadag, Kolar and Raichur (2), and Chikkaballapura, Davangere, Haveri, Uttara Kannada and Vijayapura (1). Among the districts where the new cases were reported, Bengaluru Urban accounted for 3,479, followed by Mysuru (665), Ballari (661), Hassan (426), Dakshina Kannada (404), Belagavi (318), Shivamogga (299), Tumakuru (294), Koppal (259) and Mandya (246). Health officials claimed that as many as 5,94,019 primary contacts and 5,36,625 secondary contacts are under observation in Karnataka, while more than 5,13,883 persons are in home quarantine. A total of 38,00,976 samples were tested so far, out of which 67,955 were tested on Sunday alone. With IANS and PTI inputs

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Former K’taka CM Kumaraswamy urges govt to shut down dance bars to tackle drug menace

Controversy

Kumaraswamy said that even when he was the CM, he had taken steps to close down dance bars but before the changes could come into effect, his government lost majority on the floor of the Assembly.

TNM Staff

Former Karnataka Chief Minister, HD Kumaraswamy on Sunday urged the state government to take immediate steps to close down all the dance bars in Bengaluru, saying that these bars have become dens of drug supply centres in the city. Speaking to reporters in Bhadravati town in Shivamogga district, Kumaraswamy quipped that the incumbent government is not dependent on anybody's mercy, hence, the Chief Minister, BS Yediyurappa should take this bold step of announcing closure of dance bars. "There has been ample evidence against dance bars in Bengaluru, where many peddlers and addicts come together for a jaunt. The state government must take steps to stop this by banning the dance bars," he said. Answering to a question, Kumaraswamy retorted that even when he was the Chief Minister, he had taken all steps but a step short of closing down these bars as his government by then had lost majority on the floor. "Yediyurappa can do it even now, as I have completed all the formalities to issue ban orders," he said. The drugs case gained momentum with the Narcotics Control Bureau arresting three people in Bengaluru for allegedly supplying drugs to Kannada film stars and singers. Soon after the arrest, the City police too, started investigation. Besides the Central Crime Branch, the Enforcement Directorate has also started probing the financial aspects of the drugs scandal. Kumaraswamy also hit back at Congress MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan for his remarks that JD(S) leaders had been to Colombo and said the latter has made statements of unrelated events which occurred in 2014. Accusing Kumaraswamy of being present at a casino in Colombo where Kannada film actor Sanjjanaa Galrani, who is now arrested in a drug case, was allegedly present, Zameer Ahmed sought to know about the event. Zameer said other JD(S) MLAs and senior party functionaries along with their leader H D Kumaraswamy, had been to Colombo. Taking serious note of the statement, Kumaraswamy tweeted, "It is true that JDS travelled to Colombo, Sri Lanka, with lawmakers, MPs, former legislators and key leaders to discuss the JD(S) party's confidential agenda and future political strategies.” “However, it was not a clandestine 'Colombo trip'," Kumaraswamy added. Referring to Zameer Ahmed, who was earlier in the JD(S) before joining the Congress, the former chief minister said a politician who was in his party has made statements of unrelated events. "In June 2014, I had openly told the media that I would be travelling to Colombo to discuss the party organisation in detail, and released to the media video footage of the debate with lawmakers there,” Kumaraswamy said. 

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COVID-19: Karnataka sees highest one-day spike of 9894 cases, 3479 from Bengaluru

Coronavirus

Bengaluru has reported over 3,000 COVID-19 cases every day since September 8.

TNM Staff

PTI : Image for representation

Karnataka on Sunday reported its biggest single-day spike of 9,894 new COVID-19 cases and 104 fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 4,59,445 and the death toll to 7,265, the Health department said in its daily bulletin. A total of 8,402 recoveries were also reported on the day. The previous biggest single-day spike was recorded on September 2 with 9,860 cases. Out of 9,894 fresh cases reported on Sunday, 3,479 cases were from Bengaluru Urban alone. Over the past week, Bengaluru has reported over 3,000 COVID-19 cases on each day. Between September 8 and September 12, Bengaluru reported 3102, 3419, 3161, 3426 and 3552 COVID-19 cases.  As of September 13 evening, cumulatively 4,59,445 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 7,265 deaths and 3,52,958 discharges, the Health department said in its bulletin. It said that out of 99,203 active cases, 98,396 patients were in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while 807 were in ICU. As many as 45 out of total 104 deaths reported on Sunday were from Bengaluru Urban, followed by Mysuru (15), Ballari (8), Dharwad (7), Shivamogga (5), Hassan (4), Dakshina Kannada, Koppal and Tumakuru (3), Gadag, Kolar and Raichur (2), and Chikkaballapura, Davangere, Haveri, Uttara Kannada and Vijayapura (1). Most of the dead were either with a history of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) or Influenza-like illness (ILI). Among the districts where the new cases were reported, Bengaluru Urban accounted for 3,479, followed by Mysuru (665), Ballari (661), Hassan (426), Dakshina Kannada (404), Belagavi (318), Shivamogga (299), Tumakuru (294), Koppal (259) and Mandya (246), followed by others. Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 1,70,662 infections, followed by Ballari (26,813) and Mysuru (25,751). Among discharges too, Bengaluru Urban tops the list with 1,27,132, followed by Ballari (21,728) and Mysuru (18,158). A total of 38,00,976 samples were tested so far, out of which 67,955 were tested on Sunday alone. Among the samples tested on Sunday, 31,657 were rapid antigen tests.  

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