The bail requests of actor Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik, who have been in jail for nearly three weeks on drugs-related charges linked to the Sushant Singh Rajput investigation, will be heard by the Bombay High Court today. Five more accused, including Sushant Singh Rajput’s employees, are also seeking bail.
Rhea Chakraborty, who dated movie star Sushant Singh Rajput, was arrested on September 9 on charges of organizing drugs for him.
On Monday, the Narcotics Control Bureau submitted a statement opposing bail for Rhea Chakraborty and her brother, saying they bought drugs not for their own use but to supply them to Sushant Singh Rajput, which is “a more serious offense” related to the funding of drugs.
“Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, this is the most serious crime,” Narcotics Control Bureau officer Sameer Wankhede has said in his written submission.
Rhea Chakraborty also used her home to buy and store drugs for Sushant Singh Rajput, says the officer, saying she was therefore guilty of “harbouring drugs”.
“It is clear from the statements and electronic evidence gathered by the NCB that the applicant is an active member of the drug syndicate connected with high society personalities and drug suppliers. There is sufficient evidence that she is involved in drug trafficking,” the anti-drugs agency said. On September 9, the bureau had described the 28-year-old actor as an “active member of a drug syndicate”.
In the previous bail hearing last week, Rhea Chakraborty had challenged the Narcotics Control Bureau’s jurisdiction and had said that the CBI should take over since it was mandated by the Supreme Court to probe all aspects of the case. In response, the anti-drugs agency has said that it has the right to investigate the drugs case linked to Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.
Rhea Chakraborty’s bail plea alleges a witch-hunt by the Narcotics Control Bureau at the instance of three central agencies without any evidence. She also alleges that Sushant Singh Rajput “took advantage of those closest to him to sustain his drug habit” and that he “was the only consumer of drugs and that he was directing his staff members to procure his drugs”.
