Comedian Bharti Singh arrested by NCB in drug case
Mumbai: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Saturday arrested comedian Bharti Singh following the seizure of ganja (cannabis) from her house in suburban Andheri, an official said.
The NCB searched Singh's house and office in the morning as part of its probe into alleged drug use in the Hindi film industry.
A team led by Sameer Wankhede, the central agency's zonal director, carried out a search at Singh's residence at Lokhandwala Complex as well as her production house based on a tip-off, a release said.
It recovered 86.5 grams of ganja during the search, the release added.
"Both Ms Bharti Singh and her husband Harsh Limbachiya accepted consumption of ganja. Bharti Singh was placed under arrest under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and examination of Mr. Limbachiya is underway," the NCB release added.
The quantity allegedly seized from Singh's possession is considered as "small quantity" under the act, as against "commercial quantity", an NCB official said.
Up to 1,000 grams of ganja is considered a small quantity, which attracts a jail term up to six months and/or a fine of Rs 10,000. Possession of commercial quantity -- 20 kg or more -- can attract up to 20 years in jail. For the quantity in between, the punishment can be as much as 10 years in jail.
"Singh's name had cropped up during the interrogation of a drug peddler," he added.
The agency also carried out searches at two other locations in the metropolis, the official said.
Bharti Singh has appeared in many comedy and reality shows on TV. She has also hosted a few such shows.
The NCB has been probing the alleged drug use in Bollywood after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June on the basis of WhatsApp chats involving drugs.
The central agency had earlier arrested Rajput's girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showk, some employees of the late film star, and a few others under various sections of the NDPS Act.
Rhea Chakraborty and some other accused are currently out on bail.
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4 workers die after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad
Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
