The Narcotics Control Bureau on Friday named actor Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik Chakraborty and 31 others in a chargesheet filed in connection with the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, NDTV reported. The central agency is investigating claims of widespread drug use and trafficking in Bollywood, in relation to the case.
The chargesheet, which runs over 11,000 pages, was filed at the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act Sessions Court in Mumbai, almost nine months after Rajput’s death, reported India Today. The document includes the statements of about 2,000 witnesses.
Rajput’s former manager Samuel Miranda and household help Dipesh Sawant have also been named, according to News18.
Rajput was found dead in his Mumbai apartment on June 14, in what the police initially said appeared to be a case of suicide. But subsequently Rajput’s family filed a complaint with the Bihar Police accusing his former live-in partner Chakraborty of abetment of suicide. She denied the allegation.
Three central agencies – the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Enforcement Directorate, the Narcotics Control Bureau – took up cases against her.
Chakraborty was eventually arrested for consuming drugs. She was granted bail on October 7 after a court observed that the actor was not part of any drug syndicate and had no criminal record. It said Chakraborty could not have financed or supported illegal drug trafficking as alleged by the narcotics agency.
Her brother was also arrested in the case and granted bail after three months.
What the chargesheet states
The Narcotics Control Bureau began investigating Rajput’s death in June. A formal case was registered by the agency on August 26.
At the time of the probe, several substances, electronic gadgets, and Indian as well as foreign currency were seized. The chargesheet filed by the agency on Friday now states that tests have confirmed that the seized substances are narcotic in nature. This includes charas, ganja, LSD, ecstasy, and psychotropic substances such as alprazolam and clonazepam covered under provisions of the NDPS Act, according to NDTV.
Unidentified officials told News18 that the chargesheet details how various drugs, including synthetic narcotic substances, were being procured at the highest level and then distributed across Mumbai through multiple channels. “From drugs being manufactured to the the supply chain and ultimately its consumption, the trail has been mentioned,” the NCB official said.
The agency has also said it had submitted other incriminating evidence comprising digital data, call records, WhatsApp chats, location tags, video and voice recordings, and other documents.
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