Published 10:05 IST, September 29th 2020
NCB to take call on arresting Bollywood stars in drug probe; evidence being sequenced
On Thursday a meeting will be held under the leadership of NCB Chief Rakesh Asthana to decide if certain Bollywood stars need to be put under arrest or not
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The Delhi team of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) which had travelled to Mumbai will fly back to Delhi on Thursday, Republic Media Network has learnt. The decision has been taken in a group discussion with NCB chief Rakesh Asthana. The central anti-drug agency is compiling the pieces of evidence together in order to put them in a sequence which is likely to be done by Wednesday. On Thursday, the team will leave for Delhi.
Notably, on Thursday another meeting will be held under the leadership of NCB Chief Rakesh Asthana to decide if certain Bollywood stars need to be put under arrest or not.
On Sunday, NCB Chief Rakesh Asthana along with 3-4 officers travelled from Delhi to Mumbai to review the case. The NCB chief accompanied by Joint Director Sameer Wankhede has spoken with the NCB Mumbai team and is said to be analysing the evidence gathered till date in the case.
Drug dossier with NCB Chief; more arrests coming?
On Monday, Rakesh Asthana was handed a 'drug dossier' by the officials. As per sources, this drug dossier contains a list of top Bollywood stars involved in procuring drugs. It also contains a detailed report of drug chats between Bollywood actors and peddlers along with testimonies of actors Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Rakul Preet Singh and Shraddha Kapoor. It also holds the testimonies of others including those of KWAN talent managers Karishma Prakash, Shruti Modi and designer Simone Khambatta. The drug dossier also holds details on the financial dealings and ownership of KWAN talent management agency and the testimonies of KWAN members and their links to drug peddlers.
As of now, the agency has arrested Executive producer Kshitij Ravi Prasad in the Bollywood drug cartel case. Apart from him, the agency, which is also probing the drug angle in the Sushant Singh Rajput death has arrested 19 people, including actress Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik - under the NDPS Act for procurement and financing of narcotic substances. Bombay High Court on Thursday adjourned the hearing of the bail plea of Rhea Chakraborty and Showik for September 29.
Sources have told Republic that the 'Phase 3' of NCB's Bollywood drug probe will see names even bigger and more influential than Deepika Padukone and the others coming under the agency's radar. Furthermore, the four actors summoned so far - Deepika, Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor and Rakul Preet Singh - appear to all have 'read from the same script', sources said, adding that they have only piled on the trouble for themselves by doing so and are aware that they are cornered. All four have claimed that 'hash isn't a drug', while two have also tried to claim that the NCB isn't versed with 'Bollywood English'. Lastly, the NCB is said to be shocked at the pressure it is coming under over Kshitij Prasad's arrest, from bureaucrats and politicians. The agency is confident, however, that a lot of names will come out over the course of his interrogation in custody, and has also dismissed as 'malicious' claims of physical overreach in its grilling of the director/producer who was once associated with a top Bollywood production banner. Sources told Republic that the NCB has a lot more evidence it hasn't presented yet and another set of summons for the actors hasn't been ruled out.
10:05 IST, September 29th 2020