The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested comedian Bharti Singh and her husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa after they seized drugs from their home in Mumbai on Saturday. The central agency searched the couple’s home and office and recovered 86.5 grams of cannabis from both locations, according to reports.
The agency, acting on a tip, had conducted a search of Singh’s office and residence on Saturday as part of its investigation into alleged drug use in the entertainment industry. “Both Ms. Bharti Singh and her husband Harsh Limbachiya agreed to the consumption of ganja,” a statement from the NCB previously said.
This is what we know so far:
1. Singh, who has appeared on several comedy and reality television shows and also hosted such shows, was arrested by NCB after the cannabis seizure of her home in the suburbs of Andheri on Saturday. The comedian was arrested under the provisions of the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1985.
2. Her husband was arrested Sunday after more than 12 hours of questioning.
3. Singh and Limbachiyaa were taken to a hospital for a medical examination on Sunday.
The couple and two other detainees in the case would be brought before a court in Mumbai after their medical examination.
Four. The amount of drugs allegedly seized from Singh’s possession is considered a “small amount” under the law, as opposed to the “commercial amount,” an NCB official said.
5. Up to 1000g of marijuana is considered a small quantity, which carries a jail term of up to six months and / or a fine of Rs 10,000. Possession of a commercial quantity (20 kg or more) can carry up to 20 years in prison. For the intermediate amount, the punishment can be up to 10 years in jail.
6. “Singh’s name had come up during the questioning of a drug dealer,” the official said.
7. NCB had previously raided a location in the Khar Danda area and caught a 21-year-old dealer with various drugs, including 15 doses of LSD (commercial quantity), ganja (40 grams), and nitrazepam (psychotropic drugs).
8. NCB has been investigating alleged drug use in Bollywood after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June this year on the basis of WhatsApp chats.
9. The central agency previously arrested Rajput’s girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, some employees of the late actor and a few others in various sections of the NDPS law. Rhea Chakraborty and some other defendants are currently out on bail.
10. Actor Arjun Rampal’s home was also searched, after which he and his girlfriend were summoned by NCB for questioning.
(With contributions from the agency)
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