Rhea arrested in drugs case, not given bail
MUMBAI: After questioning her for three consecutive days, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested actor Rhea Chakraborty on Tuesday afternoon in connection with its investigation of a drug angle in the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
“Rhea has been arrested and due process of informing the family has been completed,” said NCB deputy director KPS Malhotra. Chakraborty’s arrest in connection with the NCB’s probe of the drug angle followed the arrest of her brother Showik, Rajput’s house manager Samuel Miranda and his house help Dipesh Sawant.
“We will not be seeking Rhea Chakraborty’s custody as we have questioned her for three days, but we will oppose if she moves for bail,” deputy director general of NCB, Mutha Ashok Jain, said.
Chakraborty, 28, was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act’s sections 8(c) (sale, possession or manufacture of banned drugs), 20(b)(ii) (possession or use of small quantity of banned drugs) and other relevant provisions.
Among other offences, she has been charged under Section 27A of the NDPS Act, which pertains to punishment for financing illicit traffic. The section carries minimum rigorous imprisonment of 10 years, which may be extended to 20 years.
“We have not found any contraband from Rhea and her brother Showik’s residence in Juhu. After three days of interrogation, we have sufficient material to arrest her, but I will not comment on the evidence in this case. We will produce that before the court,” said Jain.
Rajput, 34, was found dead at his Bandra residence in Mumbai on June 14 in what the city police said initially was a case of suicide. The death is now being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
“This is a complete travesty of justice,” Chakraborty’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde said about her arrest. At 7.30 pm, NCB produced Chakraborty before a magistrate’s court via video conferencing after arresting her on the basis of statements by other people it has held in connection with the case, including her brother Showik.
The court remanded Chakraborty to 14-day judicial custody, rejecting her bail plea.