NCB gets custody of Rhea's brother; says it has got inkling of drugs penetration in Bollywood
Mumbai: Narcotics Control Bureau, which on Saturday obtained custody of Rhea Chakraborty's brother Showik in the drugs case linked to the probe into actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death, said it has got "inkling" of the narcotics network and penetration in Bollywood.
Showik Chakraborty "dealt in drugs with many others", the NCB told a court here as it obtained his custody along with that of Rajput's house manager Samuel Miranda till September 9.
NCB Deputy Director General of the south-west region, Mutha Ashok Jain, told reporters outside his office that while the agency's mandate is to "look for the big fish" and probe international and inter-state drugs transactions, it will "not shirk its responsibility" now that it is getting information about this alleged drugs nexus.
"Normally this is not part of our mandate but now that we are getting information. This case has given us an inkling of the network and the extent of the penetration," he said when asked if the agency has evidence on the nexus of the drug in Bollywood or Hindi movie industry.
The NCB, while seeking remand of one of the accused in this case two days ago, had told the court that it was looking into "the drug citadel in Mumbai, especially Bollywood".
"The whole idea of taking custody remand (of Showik and Miranda) is to make people confront each other to clarify their individual role. So, yes we will be asking her (Rhea) to join investigation and maybe some other people because we also need to clarity as to who did what," Jain told reporters on Saturday.
Showik and Miranda were arrested on Friday night by the NCB under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act after questioning them for 10 hours.
The NCB produced them in a court here on Saturday.
Seeking their custody, it said Showik needs to be confronted with Rajput's personal staff Dipesh Sawant, and Rhea who is the main accused in the actor's death case.
Abdel Basit Parihar, arrested earlier in the drugs case, was in contact with Showik and Miranda, the NCB told the court.
"Further, some characters are to be verified, who as per the CDR (Call Data Record) analysis, Whatsapp chat and preliminary interrogation are deeply entrenched in the drug trafficking," the agency added.
Besides Showik and Miranda, Kaizan Ibrahim, another accused, was also produced before the court. He was remanded in judicial custody as the NCB did not seek his remand.
Besides Showik, Miranda and Kaizan, the NCB has arrested Zaid Vilatra (21) and Parihar (23).
Various angles surrounding Rajput's death are being probed by the CBI, Enforcement Directorate (ED) and NCB.
Rajput was found hanging at his flat in Mumbai's Bandra area on June 14. Actor Rhea Chakraborty, his live-in partner, is accused of abetting his alleged suicide.
A CBI team visited Rajput's Bandra flat again on Saturday as part of its investigation into the suicide case.
Rajput's cooks Neeraj and Keshav, and his flatmate Siddharth Pithani accompanied the team, an official said.
In the last two weeks, the central probe agency had visited the flat at least two times to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the actor's death.
Maharashtra Home minister Anil Deshmukh told reporters in Nagpur that the Mumbai police is extending full cooperation to the CBI. The case was earlier being handled by the Mumbai police.
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Kharge rules out Chief Minister change in Karnataka 'for now'
Kalaburgai (Karnataka) (PTI): AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said there was no Chief Minister change in Karnataka "for now" and that the leadership issue in the state will be resolved soon.
The Congress chief's statement comes amid speculations within the party and political circles about a possible decision on leadership change and cabinet reshuffle after May 4, once the results for assembly elections in four states and one union territory, along with bypolls to two assembly segments in Karnataka, are announced.
Supporters of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar have been insisting on his elevation in lines with a rumoured power-sharing agreement with CM Siddaramaiah when the party won the 2023 Assembly polls.
"You (media), he (Parameshwara) and people at the top say that it is better if I become (the chief minister). But, more than fate, as per my ideology and as per my service to the party so far, Sonia Gandhi takes decisions regarding me," he said in response to a question about Home Minister G Parameshwara's statement about Kharge becoming the CM.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "But, that question does not arise now. There is already a Chief Minister here. If Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and I, together, have to take any decision in the direction of a change, it will take some time. Let's wait and see."
Amid speculations about the leadership change in Karnataka, Parameshwara said on Wednesday that everyone in the ruling Congress party will welcome, if Kharge, a senior politician with a lot of experience, becomes the chief minister.
The leadership tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculation about a possible change of chief minister after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, 2025. The speculation has been fuelled by the reported "power-sharing" arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar at the time of government formation in 2023.
To a question on JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy's statement that about 40 Congress MLAs having booked tickets to Delhi next month, amid the leadership tussle in the Congress, Kharge said, "I don't know, ask him for details."
