Deepika Padukone leaves NCB office after six hours of questioning
What's the story
Actor Deepika Padukone was today questioned for nearly six hours in an ongoing drugs probe linked to fellow actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. She arrived at the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) office at 10 am and left around 4 pm. Deepika, 34, was summoned for interrogation by the anti-drugs agency, along with actors Shraddha Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan. Here are more details.
Details
How did Sushant's death lead to summoning for these actors?
The NCB launched an investigation after another probe agency found WhatsApp chats that hinted at drug use. Deepika's name came up during the questioning of talent manager Jaya Saha. In the messages recovered from Jaya's phone, Deepika and others had in October 2017 allegedly talked about procuring marijuana and hashish. Meanwhile, Shraddha and Sara were named by other arrested accused in this case.
Details
The actors have denied consuming drugs: Reports
According to some reports, Deepika has admitted to being involved in the alleged WhatsApp exchanges where drugs were mentioned. She, however, has denied consuming drugs herself. Shraddha and Sara, both former co-stars of the late actor, have also denied taking drugs. Apart from the three actors, Deepika's manager Karishma Prakash has also been questioned.
Updates
Dharma employee Kshitij Ravi Prasad to be arrested
Separately, on Friday, actor Rakul Preet Singh was questioned for nearly four hours by the NCB. Apart from her, Sushant's former business manager Shruti Modi and Dharma Productions' employee Kshitij Ravi Prasad were also grilled. In fact, Prasad has been detained by the probe agency and will be arrested. He had joined Dharma-owned Dharmatic Entertainment as an executive producer in November last year.
Case
Sushant was found dead at Mumbai home in June
Sushant was found dead at his home in Mumbai on June 14. The actor died by suicide and had been suffering from depression, Mumbai Police had said. His family, however, contested claims of mental illness, and accused actor Rhea Chakraborty, his girlfriend, of mentally harassing him and driving him to suicide. Apart from NCB, the CBI and Enforcement Directorate are also probing the matter.
Rhea
Rhea's bail plea to be heard next week
On September 8, following days of questioning, Rhea Chakraborty was arrested by the NCB. Her brother Showik, two staff members of Sushant, and a number of alleged drug peddlers have also been held in the case. Rhea is currently in judicial custody till October 6. She has filed a bail petition in the Bombay High Court, which will be heard on Tuesday, September 29.
Quote
Agencies being pressurized for political gains, says Rhea's lawyer
Notably, Rhea's lawyer Satish Maneshinde has alleged that the probe agencies are "being pressurized," to give a predetermined result for political gains. He said, "The agencies are being pressurized to reach a predetermined result for obvious reasons on the eve of the Bihar Elections (sic)."