Celebrity fashion designer Ramesh Dembla became the latest high-profile person to be questioned in the Sandalwood drugs scandal on Saturday. The Central Crime Branch (CCB) grilled him for over 10 hours about his contacts with Bollywood actors, VIPs, and other celebrities. 

A day after the police summoned him for questioning, Dembla arrived at the CCB headquarters in Cottonpet around 11 am and was let go around only 9.35 pm.

He was initially so tight-lipped that he didn’t even disclose his phone number. It was only after he was warned about the consequences of not cooperating in the investigation that he opened up, CCB sources said. 

If the CCB sources are to be believed, Dembla attended many parties attended by VIPs and celebrities owing to his reputation as a big-time fashion designer.

He was in touch with party organiser Viren Khanna and some other suspects arrested in the drugs case. He was first questioned alone and then confronted in the presence of Khanna. “We questioned him about all the parties that he attended,” a CCB officer said. 

Investigators also looked into Dembla’s alleged contacts with Bollywood actors whose names have surfaced in a separate probe being carried out by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). 

Speaking to reporters after the questioning, Dembla said that while he knew 10 of the suspects arrested in the case, he wasn’t aware of any drug consumption or peddling.