Rhea Chakraborty has been arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau, which is probing allegations of drug abuse surrounding Sushant Singh Rajput's death on 14 June, as per a report by ANI. She has reportedly been taken into custody on charges of drug procurement and consumption. Rhea has been arrested under sections 27 A, 21,22, 29 and 28 of the NDPS Act.
KPS Malhotra, Deputy Director, Narcotics Control Bureau, has been quoted by ANI as saying, “Actor Rhea Chakraborty arrested by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Mumbai”. Malhotra added that Rhea will be produced before a magistrate via video conferencing by 7.30 pm on Tuesday, 8 September.
Mutha Ashok Jain, Deputy DG, South-Western Region, NCB, told reporters that whatever Rhea said was sufficient for arresting her. "Rhea was sent for a routine medical check-up. She tested negative for COVID-19. Whatever she told was sufficient for the arrest. We have arrested her, it means we had enough", Jain said adding, "We did not recover any contraband".
Jain also said that the NCB will be seeking judicial custody for Rhea. "We don't need her custody remand so we'll seek judicial custody. We aren't asking for her custody remand as whatever we wanted to cross with her, we've done already. We will also oppose bail".
Travesty of Justice: Rhea's Lawyer
Reacting to the decision Rhea's lawyer Satish Maneshinde said, "Travesty of Justice. Three Central agencies hounding a single woman, just because she was in love with a drug addict who was suffering from mental health issues for several years under the care of five leading psychiatrists in Mumbai, who ended up committing suicide due to consumption of Illegally administered medicines".
Maneshinde's statement refers to the conversation between Sushant and his sister Priyanka that had surfaced some time back. Priyanka had reportedly recommended medicines for anxiety to her brother and had even arranged for a prescription. Based on this chat, an FIR has been filed by Mumbai Police against Sushant's sister Priyanka, Dr Tarun Kumar and others on a complaint by Rhea. Priyanka and Meetu Singh have been charged with forgery, abetment to suicide among others.
NCB Questioned Rhea For 3 Days
Rhea has been questioned for three days by the probe agency starting Sunday, 6 September. As per reports, on the second day NCB had questioned her regarding procuring, consuming and possession of drugs. She was also reportedly questioned on whether she tried to talk to Sushant about his alleged consumption of drugs or tried to discuss his alleged addiction with his family.
Criminal Case Against Rhea, 3 Others
On 26 August, the NCB had filed a criminal case against Rhea Chakraborty and three of her acquaintances (including her brother Showik) under sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, claiming proof about consumption of banned substances, as reported by Indian Express.
The officials said that the case was registered after the Enforcement Directorate alerted them of WhatsApp conversations between Chakraborty and others regarding cannabidiol, LSD, MDMA and marijuana. Along with Rhea, Sushant's house manager Samuel Miranda was also booked.
The Arrests
Eight people have been arrested till now by the NCB with six being directly linked to the probe while two were arrested when the investigation was launched under criminal sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The first to be arrested for alleged drug peddling were Abbas Lakhani and Karan Arora. Zaid Vilatra and Abdel Basit Parihar were arrested later. Both Vilatra and Parihar have been granted bail.
On 4 September, Rhea Chakraborty's brother Showik and Samuel Miranda were arrested by NCB. The agency had carried out searches in both their houses that day. The following day, Sushant's house help Dipesh Sawant was also arrested.
The First FIR
On 28 July, an FIR was filed in Patna against Rhea based on a complaint by Sushant's father KK Singh. Rhea has been accused of abetment to suicide and embezzlement of funds. Later, Sushant's family also alleged that Rhea was giving the late actor drugs without his knowledge.
Along with the NCB, the CBI and ED are also probing Sushant's death. Sushant Singh Rajput allegedly died by suicide on 14 June.
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