Actor Arjun Rampal arrived at the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) Mumbai office on Friday morning for questioning in an anti-drugs probe that began after an investigation into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June. On Monday Mr Rampal’s Mumbai home was searched and he was asked to appear before the agency today.
Mr Rampal’s girlfriend, Gabriella Demetriades, was questioned on Wednesday and Thursday. Her brother, Agisialos Demetriades, has twice been arrested over alleged links to anti-drugs cases.
The NCB probe started earlier this year when, during investigations into actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death in June, WhatsApp chats involving drugs were found on the phone of his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, also an actor.
Ms Chakraborty, her brother Showik, two of Sushant Singh Rajput’s employees and a few others were arrested for allegedly arranging drugs for the 34-year-old actor. After spending nearly a month in jail, Ms Chakraborty was released on bail last month.
In the last two months, top Bollywood actors – Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor and Rakulpreet Singh- have been questioned as the NCB says the questioning is a part of its attempt to unravel the network of supply to celebrities.
On Monday, film producer Firoz Nadiadwala was summoned by the bureau, a day after his wife Shabana Saeed was arrested on Sunday after investigators allegedly found 10 grams of marijuana at their home in Juhu, Mumbai, during a raid.
The Nadiadwala residence was searched on Sunday following the arrest of drug peddler Wahid Abdul Kadir Shaikh in Andheri a few days earlier. As the agency tracked Shaikh’s clients, NCB officers stumbled upon his link to Ms Saeed who had allegedly purchased 10 gm of the contraband from him, according to the NCB.
Ms Saeed got bail yesterday.
