After 130 days of eluding the police, Aditya Alva was finally arrested by the Central Crime Branch police at a resort in the outskirts of Chennai. The son of former minister Jeevaraj Alva and brother-in-law of Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi, who is wanted in connection with the high-profile drug case involving the Kannada film industry and party organisers, had been hiding out at a resort in the neighbouring State for the past 15 days.
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After months of raiding the premises of his family and friends, the police finally caught up with Alva late Monday night. “He was on the run since September last year but we were able to track him down through mobile call record details,” said a senior police official.
Alva, who is accused no. 6 in the case, is charged with organising high-profile parties at his house in Hebbal where drugs such as ecstasy and LSD were made available. According to the CCB, synthetic drugs were recovered during the raid at his Hebbal residence in September 2020, but Alva managed to escape.
During their search for him, the CCB conducted search operations at the house of Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi in Mumbai, and the Bidadi residence of the late former underworld don Muthappa Rai. They also raided an apartment in Vyalikaval owned by Rai’s son Ricky who was summoned for questioning as the police believed he had been aiding Alva.
Alva was escorted back to Bengaluru and taken into custody after he underwent a medical examination and a COVID-19 test. “We have recovered his mobile phone and are questioning him about his escape and the places where he had taken shelter in and those who helped,” said a senior police official, adding that those who abetted him while he was on the run will also come under the CCB’s scanner.
The CCB will be questioning him about the people who supplied the drugs, the parties he organised with another accused in the case, Viren Khanna, and the attendees. Guests included celebrities, film stars, children of politicians and businessmen who attended the parties organised by both Aditya and Viren Khanna.
Alva’s arrest comes less than a week after film producer and businessman Shivaprakash Chippi surrendered to the police.
Chippi, who is accused no. 1 in the case, gave himself up, and was questioned before he was allowed to leave.
Actor Sanjjana Galrani, another high-profile accused in the case, is out on bail, but fellow actor Ragini Dwivedi remains in judicial custody at Central Jail, Parappana Agrahara.
