CCB likely to summon Indrajit Lankesh to seek evidence for his statements

Bengaluru: The Central Crime Branch officials are likely to summon Kannada Filmmaker Indrajit Lankesh in connection with the drugs to link to the Sandalwood industry.

On Monday Lankesh had given (names of) around 15 people known to him who are into the drug business.

The CCB has asked Lankesh to provide evidence or materials if he has any to support his statements on drug usage in Kannada Film Industry.

CCB officials on Tuesday, September 2 said that they have not received any evidence from Lakesh to collaborate with what he said and they are investigating the case.

“We will call him again and give him an opportunity to provide evidence or material if he has to support his statement. Also, at the same time, CCB also would do its own inquiry to collect evidence,” CCB officials said.

The filmmaker made the statement on the drugs in the wake of the Narcotics Control Bureau busting a drug trafficking racket here and said some “prominent musicians and actors” in Karnataka were under its scanner.

Meanwhile, Indrajit Lankesh said, “I have given names around 15 people whom I know are into the drug business. I shared those names with the police,” Lankesh said.

Lankesh was questioned for nearly five hours by the Central Crime Branch on Monday for his statement that there were many people in the film industry who were into the drug business either as consumers or sellers.

The filmmaker said he wanted to expose the drug use in the industry. “There are celebrities when they start smoking and start doing cocaine, they are the brand ambassadors of youth today. These people think it is cool..,” he added.

Lankesh said he suspected that some of the parties organized in the ”Sandalwood” were hosted by drug mafias within the industry.

Lankesh did not rule out the possibility of the Mumbai underworld behind the supply of drugs to a section of people in the Kannada film industry. Meanwhile, the police said they were probing the matter.