MUMBAI: Amid Bollywood drug issues, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Tuesday raided the Versova residence of actor Deepika Padukone’s manager Karishma Prakash, where it claimed to have found 1.7 grams of charas and at least two bottles of cannabis (CBD) oil . Prakash had earlier been questioned by NCB in connection with the FIR that had been registered in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput case. 

“Prakash’s name cropped up during the questioning of one of the paddlers arrested by us in the case in which we are looking to bust drug networks around Bollywood, Based on the information, we raided her residence today. We found 1.7 grams of charas and at least two bottles of CBD oil,” said an NCB official. 

The official said at the time of the raid, Prakash was not home and the search at her residence was carried out in the presence of her acquaintances. “We have called her for questioning tomorrow to NCB, however, her phone has been switched off and we do not know where she is,” an official said.

While the FIR regarding the Sushant Singh Rajput case – 15 / 20 – is being probed by the Delhi NCB team, the second FIR – 16 / 20 – in which Rhea Chakraborty and 23 others have been arrested is being probed by the Mumbai Zonal Unit of the NCB. All the arrests in the case so far have been made in connection with the Mumbai unit FIR. 

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The official added that while Prakash has violated sections of the NDPS Act, she will be given a chance to defend herself before a decision is taken to add her name in the FIR. So far there is nothing linking Deepika to the case. In addition to Prakash, Deepika too had recorded her statement before the NCB last month. 

On the earlier occasion, Prakash and Deepika’s statement was recorded after the NCB alleged to have found chats in the mobile phone of Sushant Singh Rajput’s former manager Jaya Saha in which narcotics were being discussed. Padukone, in her statement, told the police that the discussions were not about narcotics but code words for cigarettes. 

The 24 persons arrested in the Mumbai case so far include South African National Agisilaos Demetriades, the brother-in-law of actor Arjun Rampal, cook and housekeeper of Rajput, Rhea and her brother Showik in addition to some drug peddlers. An official said more arrests were likely in the case. 

SOURCE – THE INDIAN EXPRESS

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