Activist gives 'proof' of Zameer's drug links, CCB finds it 'stale'

Businessman Prashanth Sambargi at the CCB office in Bengaluru to give “evidence” of Congress MLA B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan's drug link. DH PHOTOS/S K DINESH

Prof Sriram Khanna, the father of party organiser Viren Khanna, who has been arrested in the drugs saga, in Bengaluru on Saturday. DH PHOTO/S K DINESH

The CCB on Saturday questioned businessman Prashanth Sambargi about his claims that Congress MLA, B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, has links to the Sandalwood drugs scandal.

Sambargi, who also claims to be a social activist, was summoned by the CCB after he claimed in television interviews and social media posts that Khan had attended a party in a casino in Sri Lanka along with Kannada actress Sanjjanaa Galrani. He walked into the CCB office around 11 am and was questioned by CCB assistant commissioner of police Gautham and his team. He walked out around 1 pm. The CCB asked him to submit “concrete” evidence to validate his claims and has summoned him again on September 18.

Speaking to reporters, Sambargi said he had provided digital evidence but CCB officers were not happy with it. “There are only certain things that I can reveal to the media. I cannot disclose more details now as I have been asked to provide more materials or evidence next Friday,” he added.

Sambargi said he never claimed that Khan had links to the drugs scandal. According to him, he only said that Khan attended a party in Sri Lanka and that he mainly talked about the MLA’s close aide, Shaik Fazil. He said that when he submitted the digital evidence (pictures and videos available in the public domain), CCB officers said they didn’t require him to give the same to them. He then asked for some time to get more details and promised to submit them on September 18.

Sambargi said the CCB had 100 times more information or evidence than what he had shared. He scotched rumours that he had links to a political party and was acting at its behest. “Just because I know some politicians doesn’t mean I’m linked to their party,” he said.

A CCB officer said the evidence given by Sambargi was “nothing new”. “He only shared data available on social media. We have given him time to provide more material. We also warned him to be cautious while talking to the media or posting on social media,” the officer added.

Jeweller arrested

The CCB has arrested another suspect in the Sandalwood drugs scandal. At Friday midnight, Vaibhav Jain was arrested from a private hospital where he had got himself admitted after testing positive for Covid-19, the CCB said. Jain was tracked down last week and given time to recover. But he went off the police radar and got himself admitted to the hospital on the pretext of some illness. Before the CCB tracked him down again, he applied for anticipatory bail.

Jain runs Ganesh Jewellers in Malleswaram and is accused of being in touch with other suspects, including Kannada actress Ragini Dwivedi, party organiser Viren Khanna and RTO clerk B K Ravi Shankar. He is also accused of exchanging drugs with the suspects and is known to have organised a few private parties. His wife once complained to Vyalikaval police alleging domestic violence.

Actresses questioned

Meanwhile, officers said Ragini and fellow Kannada actress Sanjjanaa Galrani were still not cooperating in the investigation. On Saturday, when CCB inspector Anjumala T Nayak tried to question them, both said they had a fever and cannot answer the questions. However, they opened up about the parties attended by them and their links with other suspects after the CCB warned to move them to the lock-up.