Sushant Singh Rajput death case: NCB registers criminal case against actor Rhea Chakraborty, others

Mumbai, Aug 26: After the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Narcotics Control Bureau on Wednesday registered criminal case against actor Rhea Chakraborty, others to probe their alleged dealings in banned drugs.

They said various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) have been pressed in the complaint filed by the federal anti-drugs agency on an official reference received from the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The alleged narcotics dealing links are connected to the criminal probe being conducted in the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, 34, who was found hanging at his duplex flat in Mumbai's Bandra area on June 14.

The NCB is now the third federal investigative agency probing this case apart from the ED and the CBI.

The ED, which is probing a money laundering angle into the death of Rajput, has questioned Rhea Chakraborty, and has obtained "deleted WhatsApp messages" allegedly indicating dealings in banned drugs from her phone.

Rhea has been questioned by the ED about these suspect drug deals and her statement on these allegations has been recorded by it under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), officials said. Her lawyer Satish Manehsinde had vehemently denied the allegations made against the 28-year-old actor.

"Rhea has never consumed drugs in her life ever. She is ready for a blood test," Maneshinde had said. She is the prime accused in this case and has stated in her petition before the Supreme Court that she was in a live-in relationship with the actor. The ED had shared these alleged drug links with the CBI too.

Rajput was found dead in his Bandra flat on June 14. The post-mortem report concluded he died by suicide. The probe was handed over to CBI by the Supreme Court, after it upheld the validity of a first information report (FIR) lodged by Bihar Police in response to a plaint filed by Rajput's father, KK Singh.