Vivek Oberoi must Be Probed In Drugs Case: Maharashtra Home Minister

Mangalore Today News Network

Mumbai, Oct 16, 2020: Actor Vivek Oberoi, a vocal supporter of the BJP who starred as Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an adulatory biopic, must be investigated for possible links to the drug abuse scandal being probed by the Narcotics Control Bureau or NCB, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Friday.

Mr Deshmukh’s comments came after a Congress party delegation met him with the demand following a raid at Mr Oberoi’s residence by the Bengaluru Police on Thursday in connection with the drugs scandal involving the Kannada film industry.

The police were looking for Vivek Oberoi’s wife Priyanka Alva’s brother Aditya who has been evading arrest after being named as in the drugs probe by the Central Crime Branch of the Bengaluru Police.

Priyanka Alva, the daughter of former Karnataka minister Jeevaraj Alva and Nandini Alva, has been served a notice by the Bengaluru Central Crime Branch as well, according to news agency ANI.

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has said the Narcotic Control Bureau or NCB should probe Vivek Oberoi in the separate drug case involving members of the Hindi film industry in Mumbai known as Bollywood.

"If the NCB does not probe it, then we will ask the Mumbai Police to probe it," Mr Deshmukh said.

Over past few months, the Shiv Sena-Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government in Maharashtra has countered attacks by the BJP over the widening probe into drug abuse allegations involving Bollywood by targeting film industry members close to the opposition party.

The drug scandal in Bollywood erupted after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June which was picked up by the BJP and its supporters as a talking point to attack the Maharashtra government and the Mumbai Police.

Countering the charges in late August, the Maharashtra Home Minister had called for an investigation into allegations against filmmaker Sandip Ssingh, best known for producing the PM Modi biopic that featured Vivek Oberoi.


courtesy: NDTV