Sandalwood drug mafia: NCB finds link to top Kannada celebrities

coastaldigest.com news network
August 30, 2020

Bengaluru, Aug 30: After Sandalwood director Indrajith Lankesh alleged that drug addiction was rampant in the Karnataka film industry, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has submitted names of the celebrities found in the notebook of the accused for further action.

It is also said that, NCB is all set to issue notices to the actors, actresses and celebrities of Sandalwood including music directors.

According to sources, the notices have been prepared based on the information and inputs given by the arrested accused, Anika and Ravindra.

Ankit, a special officer had been deputed to look into the case by the NCB and he had arrived into the city. It has now come to light that Sandalwood stars, particularly actresses, models music directors used to conduct rave parties after film releases and theaccused Anika used to supply drugs to them for parties.

The accused also explained to the police that, the stars came in search of drugs to her during lockdown time too. Reality show participants and the models were also part of this chain according to the accused.

Investigators have started the probe based on all these inputs. Sandalwood director Indrajith had openly stated that many of the Sandalwood actors and actresses, music directors and directors have been drug addicts. But, his statement was condemned by the biggies in the Sandalwood.

Police Commissioner Kamal Panth called on those with specific information to share the samewith investigating agencies.

Anika, who herself was a reality show participant, had penetrated into the celebrity circles easily and shares a good rapport with many celebrities.

Reacting to the reports, Kannada actress Rachita Ram said she doesn't even know that drug mafia existed in the City. Another actress Sharmila Mandre who was accused of using drugs clarified that the allegations levelled against her are baseless.

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News Network
February 3,2026

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Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta has urged the Centre to give high priority to offshore wind energy generation along the Mangaluru coast, citing its strategic importance to India’s green energy and port-led development goals.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha under Rule 377, Chowta said studies by the National Institute of Oceanography have identified the Mangaluru coastline as part of India’s promising offshore wind ‘Zone-2’, covering nearly 6,490 sq km. He noted that the region’s relatively low exposure to cyclones and earthquakes makes it suitable for long-term offshore wind projects and called for its development as a dedicated offshore wind energy zone.

Highlighting the role of New Mangalore Port, Chowta said its modern infrastructure, multiple berths and heavy cargo-handling capacity position it well as a logistics hub for transporting and assembling large wind energy equipment.

He also pointed to the presence of major industrial units such as MRPL, OMPL, UPCL and the Mangaluru SEZ, which could serve as direct buyers of green power through power purchase agreements, improving project viability and speeding up execution.

With Karnataka’s peak power demand crossing 18,000 MW in early 2025, Chowta stressed the need to diversify renewable energy sources. He added that offshore wind projects in the Arabian Sea are strategically safer compared to the cyclone-prone Bay of Bengal.

Calling the project vital to India’s target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, Chowta urged the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to initiate resource assessments, pilot projects and stakeholder consultations at the earliest.

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