NCB summons Deepika, Shraddha Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan in drugs case
Mumbai: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which is probing an alleged Bollywood-drugs nexus, has summoned actors Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor, Sara Ali Khanand Rakul Preet Singh for questioning, an official said on Wednesday.
The NCB, which began the probe after a drugs angle came to light in connection with actor Sushant Singh Rajput's alleged suicide, has now widened its investigation and asked these `A-list' celebrities to "join the probe", he said.
Their names came up during the interrogation of some persons who were questioned earlier in the case, he said.
Deepika has been called to record her statement on Friday (September 25), he said.
Jaya Saha, a talent manager who was questioned in the case, gave some important information, the NCB official said.
Earlier, Padukone's manager Karishma Prakash was summoned to join the investigation, but she sought time due to ill health, he said, adding she was exempted from appearance till Friday.
Prakash's WhatsApp chats included conversations about drugs with one `D', NCB sources said, adding that the agency wanted to find out who this person was.
The NCB has already arrested actor Rhea Chakraborty, Rajput's girlfriend, for alleged procurement and use of drugs.
On Wednesday, film producer Madhu Mantena arrived at the NCB guest house here to record his statement.
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Traffic fraud: Fake 'no-entry' sticker racket busted in Delhi, mastermind among 3 held
New Delhi (PTI): Police here have busted a crime syndicate involved in traffic fraud and extortion, arresting three people including the alleged mastermind who sold fake stickers to help commercial vehicles bypass no-entry restrictions, an official said on Saturday.
The police said they dismantled a third organised syndicate linked to traffic-related frauds, with the arrest of Rinku Rana alias Bhushan, his associate Sonu Sharma and Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, who was also connected to another extortion syndicate.
According to the police, Rinku Rana was running a well-organised network that facilitated the movement of commercial goods vehicles during restricted hours by selling fake 'marka' or stickers for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per vehicle every month. The stickers were falsely projected as authorisation to evade traffic challans.
During raids, the police recovered Rs 31 lakh in cash, property documents worth several crores of rupees, over 500 fake stickers and six mobile phones allegedly used to operate the syndicate.
The crackdown followed a complaint filed by a traffic police officer in April this year after a commercial vehicle tried to evade checking by producing a fake sticker claiming exemption from enforcement action.
Investigation revealed that social media groups were being used to coordinate the illegal movement of vehicles and alert drivers about traffic police checkpoints, police said.
"A parallel system was being run to cheat drivers and vehicle owners while undermining traffic enforcement. On the basis of evidence, provisions related to organised crime under the BNS were invoked," a senior police officer said.
Sonu Sharma, the police said, managed social media groups through which stickers were sold and real-time alerts were circulated regarding traffic police movement. He also acted as a link between Rana and drivers operating in the field.
In a related development, Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, an associate of Rajkumar alias Raju Meena, who was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was also apprehended.
Mukesh allegedly helped extort money from transporters and was involved in blackmailing traffic police personnel by recording enforcement actions, the police said.
Investigators alleged the syndicate led by Rajkumar deployed drivers to deliberately violate traffic rules and secretly record police officials during challans, later using manipulated videos to extort money under threat of false allegations.
The police said that in total, eight accused belonging to three different organised crime syndicates linked to traffic frauds and extortion have been arrested so far.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining members, conduct financial probes, and analyse digital evidence recovered during the raids, officials added.
