Anchor Anushree's name crops up in drug case

Bengaluru: The name of popular Kannada television anchor and actress, Anushree, has been reportedly mentioned in the charge sheet filed in the drug case by the Central Crime Branch police.

The accused number 2 in the sensational case and choreographer Kishore Aman Shetty said in his statement that Anushree was not only consuming drugs but also involved in its trafficking. She used to bring an ecstasy drug to his room, said the statement given by Kishore Shetty. Along with him and Tarun, Anushree consumed drugs a number of times, he said.

Anushree's dance practice for a reality show was conducted in the room of Tarun in 2007-2008. "During that time, Anushree used to bring ecstasy drugs to my room. Before taking food, she would consume the drug and give it to us," he reportedly stated in his statement to the police.

The statement of the choreographer is said to have strengthened the case against the accused. The actress who firmly denied that she had anything to do with drugs may find herself in a tricky situation though she is not named among the accused.

Meanwhile, CCB police in Mangalore have said that it is not possible to establish Anushree's guilt based on the statement of the accused. Police have dropped her name from the drug case as also from the list of accused.

"There is no evidence that Anushree was taking drugs nor is there evidence to buttress Kishore's claim that the drug party did happen in 2007. There was no phone conversation between the accused and Anushree. We have only mentioned the Kishore's statement in the charge sheet," according to police sources. Anushree, is one of the highest paid anchors of Kannada television. Though there are several popular male and female anchors, Anushree has won the hearts of millions with her on-screen persona and style of hosting. Currently, she is hosting the dance reality show 'Dance Karnataka Dance Season 3'.

It may be recalled that Mangaluru police had arrested choreographer Kishore Aman Shetty and his friend Akeel on September 19 in 2020. Since then the police had started tracking the drug links in the city.

As part of the investigation, the police had also sent notices to those who were associated with these people, which included Anushree.

In her statement, she had said that she knew Tarun and Kishore and denied that she ever attended any parties.

Anushree was interrogated for three-and-a-half hours. She had told the probe team that she knew Tarun Raj, a close friend of Shetty, who is also an accused in the drug case, for the last 12 years. He had done dance choreography for her for six months.