Two well-known Malayalam actors, Sreenath Bhasi and Prayaga Martin, have been named in a police investigation following the arrest of a notorious gangster involved in a drug case.
The actors' names surfaced in a custody application report submitted by the Maradu police, who are probing the activities of gangster Om Prakash, a man with a history of over 30 criminal cases.
Prakash and his associates were apprehended from a luxury hotel in Maradu, where they were found in possession of banned narcotics. According to the police, Prakash was part of a network that sourced drugs like cocaine from abroad and distributed them at DJ parties across the city. To avoid detection, Prakash reportedly booked hotel rooms under different names.
The Maradu police, acting on secret information, had been surveilling the gangster and his associates for some time. During their investigation, they discovered that over 20 individuals, including actors Bhasi and Martin, had visited Prakash at the hotel. The police are now scrutinizing call records from mobile phones seized during the arrest and examining various articles collected from the crime scene, which have been sent for forensic analysis.
A senior officer involved in the case stated that a thorough investigation is underway and that CCTV footage from the hotel has been collected to track the movements of those connected to the accused. He added that a detailed interrogation of individuals who had contact with Prakash will follow after the call data has been analyzed.
The names of Bhasi and Martin emerging in this investigation have sparked attention, especially in light of recent allegations of misconduct in the Malayalam film industry. The Justice Hema Committee report, which uncovered instances of drug abuse and sexual harassment of female actors, has already caused a stir in the state.
As of now, Bhasi and Martin have yet to respond to the revelations.