Showik Chakraborty to be confronted with sister Rhea: NCB

Mumbai, Sep 05: Actress Rhea Chakraborty's brother Showik Chakraborty, arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau probing the drug angle in actor Sushant Singh Rajput death case, had "dealt in drugs with many others" and had links with accused Abdel Basit Parihar, the agency told a court here.

The court on Saturday remanded Showik and late Rajput's house manager Samuel Miranda in custody of the NCB till September 9.

The agency told the court that Showik needs to be confronted with Rajput's personal staff, Dipesh Sawant, and Rhea Chakraborty-the main accused in the actor's death case.

Showik and Miranda were arrested on Friday night under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act after questioning of 10 hours.

The NCB told the court that there were other instances wherein Parihar, who was earlier arrested by the NCB for facilitating to arrange drugs, was in contact with Showik and Miranda.

Parihar had disclosed about his link with Showik, the NCB said.

Showik has given many names with whom he was dealing with drugs, it said.

Showik's custody is also needed as the NCB will have to confront him with other arrested accused, the court was told.

The agency further said various networks involved in sale and purchase of contrabands need to be unravelled.

"Showik was also needed to beconfronted with Rajput's personal staff, Dipesh Sawant, and Rhea Chakraborty, as there are specific roles ingredients of criminal conspiracy, abetments and various attempts to commit offences (sic)," the agency said.

The NCB will also investigate the financial trail of all the previousdrug purchases of the accused.

"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, which is a serious threat to the public safety and public health," the agency added.

Earlier in the day, besides Showik and Miranda, another accused Kaizan Ibrahim was also produced before the court.

The court remanded Kaizan in judicial custody as the investigating agency didn't seek his remand.

Besides Showik, Miranda and Kaizan, the NCB has already arrested Zaid Vilatra (21) and Abdel Basit Parihar (23).

The NCB is probing the drug angle in this case under criminal sections of the NDPS Act after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) shared with it a report following the cloning of two mobile phones of Rhea Chakraborty.

Various angles surrounding the death of Rajput are being probed by three agencies with the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) being the other two.

Rajput was found hanging at his flat in Mumbai's Bandra on June 14.