Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan (LR)
Mumbai: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has refuted claims about the fine handed out to Bollywood actors Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan and others questioned in connection with the drug case surrounding the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, saying that such reports are “devoid” of “truth and facts”.
Padukone and Prakash were reported to have told NCB officials that they had used the words ‘maal’, ‘weed’, ‘hash’ and ‘doob’ as
“Code names” for various types of cigarettes “for fun”, in their 2017 WhatsApp chats.
They both said that for low quality cigarettes they used ‘maal’, for thin and better quality cigarettes ‘hash and weed’ and for thick ones like ‘doob’.
NCB officials said both Padukone and Prakash cited the same usage while being questioned in separate rooms. The agency was questioning the duo about their 2017 WhatsApp chats where they had discussed certain keywords and it was assumed they were discussing drugs.
The office suspected that a high-level lawyer had briefed the three actors when they were summoned by the NCB last week to investigate the Bollywood drug links that emerged during the investigation of the Sushant Singh Rajput case. According to sources, the actors said they did not use drugs.
The agency had previously arrested Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, Rajput manager Samuel Miranda, domestic helper Dipesh Sawant and some suspected drug dealers, in their drug investigation.
Last week, family members of Sushant Singh Rajput complained that the CBI investigation was being delayed and the NCB investigation was losing its focus. His sister Shweta Singh Kirti questioned how long the family will have to wait for justice to be served for the late actor.
