Published 17:30 IST, September 26th 2020
Deepika Padukone 'evasive & tutored' in NCB grilling; no clean chit & may be called again
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has stated that no clean chit has been given to Deepika Padukone, and she is likely to be called again for questioning.
As Deepika Padukone left the Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB's) guest house after a marathon grilling of 5 and a half hours, top NCB sources have told Republic Media Network that the actor's statement was 'evasive and tutored'.
The NCB has stated that no clean chit has been given to Deepika Padukone, and she is likely to be called again for questioning. As of now, certain verification is going on, however, confrontation in future can’t be ruled out, revealed sources.
During her questioning, Deepika Padukone accepted the drug chats between her, Karishma Prakash, Jaya Saha, and other KWAN executives but the NCB wasn't fully satisfied with her responses, sources said.
Deepika and KWAN's 'maal' chats
Alleged chats between Deepika Padukone and Karishma Prakash from October 2017 have become a talking point where the actor asked for ‘maal’ and ‘hash’. In the latest revelation, it emerged that they were a part of a group called ‘DP+Ka+KWAN’, where Deepika Padukone was the admin. The group was formed by Jaya Saha and its admins were Deepika Padukone and Karishma Prakash. Other members include Vijay Subramaniam, Anirban Das, Producer Madhu Mantena, KWAN CEO Dhruv Chitgopekar among many others.
The talent management agency’s founding partner Dhruv Chitgopekar has also been questioned by the investigating agency. Some of this information had been revealed during the questioning of talent manager Jaya Saha, who is being touted as a ‘kingpin’ of the case, as per sources.
Deepika who was shooting for Shakun Batra’s film with Ananya Panday and Siddhant Chaturvedi in Goa had arrived in Mumbai on Thursday. Yesterday, Padukone held a late-night meeting with top lawyers in a five-star hotel in Mumbai on Friday, sources reported. Shraddha Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan are also undergoing questioning at the NCB.
Details of Jaya Saha, Karishma Prakash's questioning emerge
As per sources, Jaya Saha feigned ignorance when confronted with the chats with Rhea, who is already under NCB custody till October 6. She claimed that ‘doobies’ and buds’ were not terms for curated marijuana, but terms used for cigarettes by 'high society'. Karishma Prakash, on the other hand, was confronted with her chats with alleged drug peddler Anuj Keswani, where she stated that ‘hash’ was not a drug. Shraddha Kapoor, meanwhile, has denied consuming drugs but has accepted her chats with Jaya Saha. She is silent on the chat where she and Jaya Saha discuss CBD oil, however.
Updated 17:30 IST, September 26th 2020