NCB looking into possible drug links in Rhea Chakraborty's chats

The CBI team, along with forensic experts, had visited SSR's house to recreate the incident that led to his death. File pic

Some crucial details shared by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), after going through actress Rhea Chakraborty's WhatsApp chats, are pointing towards possible drug dealings. The information was shared with the CBI as well on Monday. Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) summoned two Bandra Police officers, who were part of the city police team investigating the Sushant Singh Rajput suicide case, for questioning.

'Looking into details'

Confirming the same, NCB DG, Rakesh Asthana said they were looking into the drug angle, as ED had shared some specific details with them. However, Asthana refused to divulge more details about the possible drug links. "We have received some details based on Rhea Chakraborty's WhatsApp chats, which points towards possible drug dealings. They are being looked into," said another NCB officer.

The city police had earlier found that Sushant was taking drugs and his cook Neeraj Singh had mentioned it in his statement. "After details related to drugs emerged, we inquired about it and one of the key witnesses confirmed that he prepared doses for the actor," a senior city police officer said.

However, CBI continued with its investigation on the fifth day and grilled key witnesses Neeraj Singh (cook), Dipesh Sawant (house help) and Siddhart Pithani (flat mate). Apart from this, chartered accountant Sandeep Shridhar was also questioned by SIT based on the financial angle of the case.

Meanwhile, the central agency also summoned investigation officer of Bandra police station, Bhushan Belnekar and sub-inspector Vaibhav Jagtap for questioning. Belnekar was investigating the case under section 174 of Code of Criminal Procedure and had recorded statements of more than 50 people. On June 14, he along with his team had visited the Mount Blanc building where Sushant was found dead. Jagtap was also present and he later took the body to Cooper Hospital in an ambulance.

A proper summons?

According to sources, the CBI team will record their statements for more clarity on what happened on June 14. They would be asked some specific questions regarding the spot panchama. "If the agency feels that some facts have been suppressed by the officer, they can call for questioning, and sometimes it's a routine practice. If it is a proper summon in this case, it means the agency is suspicious about something," said PK Jain, former ADG, Maharashtra Police.

Also Read: Why no time of death in Sushant Singh Rajput's autopsy, CBI asks Cooper Hospital doctors

There have also been allegations that Rhea entered the mortuary of Cooper Hospital and stayed there for 45 minutes. The hospital had not even made an entry of it. As per the rules, only close family members are allowed to enter the mortuary once the body is taken inside. The CBI has already sought the CCTV footage of the mortuary.

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