NARCOTIC FOOTPRINT: RHEA’S BROTHER HELD
Alleged procurement and consumption of drugs in SSR household; actor’s former house manager also arrested
The probe into Sushant Singh Rajput death case seems to have gone off the tangent, yielding the first arrests in connection with the alleged procurement and consumption of drugs in the actor’s household.
Among those to be arrested are Showik Chakraborty, brother of actor Rhea Chakraborty; Samuel Miranda, Sushant Singh Rajput’s former house manager; and one Kaizan Ibrahim. They were all arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau late on Friday in connection with the drug angle, which initially surfaced in phone chats that suggested Rajput had access to narcotics substances.
The arrests were a sequel to day-long questioning of Showik and Miranda, after the agency carried out a house search at their residences early morning under the provisions of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, (NDPS Act).
Ibrahim is also suspected to have had a hand in procuring the drugs. In the last few days the agency has been busy reconstructing the drug trail to Rajput’s house; during the investigation names of several drug peddlers have surfaced with hints of a larger network catering to a Bollywood clientele.
“For both Showik and Miranda, the papers are being prepared and they will be served arrest memos,” a senior NCB officer told FPJ on Friday night. “Showik’s and Miranda’s role have been established and an offence is made under the provisions of NDPS Act. The charges pressed are for procurement, transportation and indulging in criminal conspiracy,” the officer said.
The trio will be produced before a court on Saturday. The agency has seized digital records, which will be analyzed. The NCB filed a case under the NDPS Act against Rhea and others af ter the ED referred to it chats related to drug consumption, procurement, usage and transportation. Subsequently, the agency arrested Abbas Ramzan Ali Lakhani, Karan Arora Zaid Vilatra and Abdul Basit Parihar in the case. With that, the arrest tally in the case has mounted to seven.
NCB sources stated that Parihar and Showik met at a football club in Bandra and have been friends since. Ibrahim, who has been in touch with Parihar and Showik, was earlier being questioned by the agency for suspected drug links. The agency is probing if the arrested accused were involved in supplying drugs to other celebrities in the city.
The NCB found that the arrested suspects had a link with Miranda, who was allegedly appointed by Rhea to manage household expenses at the late actor ’s home. Rhea has denied these allegations in the past.