Mumbai, July 13 (Bureau) More than two years after actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead under mysterious circumstances at his Bandra flat here, his then girlfriend actor Rhea Chakraborty has been indicted by the NCB in its draft charges. Rhea was receiving multiple deliveries of ganja from the co-accused, including her brother Showik, and these were handed over to Sushant, the Narcotics Control Bureau informed a Special Court here that was hearing the related drugs case linked to the actors death. The central anti-drug agency informed the court last month while filing the draft charges against the accused. A copy of the same were made available to media on Wednesday in which the court was informed that “all the accused entered into a criminal conspiracy between March 2020 and December that year with each other or in groups to procure, purchase, sell and distribute drugs among the “high society and Bollywood”. It also said the accused had financed drug trafficking and consumed ganja, charas, cocaine and other narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances without valid license, permit or authorisation within the Mumbai Metropolitan region.
Therefore, they have been charged under relevant provisions of the NDPS Act, including Sections 27 and 27 A (financing illicit traffic and harbouring offenders) 28 (punishment for attempts to commit offences), 29 (whoever abets, or is a party to a criminal conspiracy), Judge V G Raghuwanshi, after taking on record the draft charges adjourned the hearing till July 27. The draft charges maintained that “accused number 10 Rhea Chakroborty received many deliveries of ganja from accused Samuel Miranda, Showik, Dipesh Sawant and others and handed over those deliveries to the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput”. She made payments for those deliveries at the instance of Showik and the late actor between March 2020 and September that year, it added. As per the draft charges, Rhea’s brother Showik was in regular touch with drug peddlers and had received many deliveries from the co-accused after placing orders of ganja and hashish/charas. These deliveries were eventually handed over to Sushant. Chakraborty was arrested in the case in September 2020 and was granted bail by the Bombay High Court a month later. Besides Rhea, her brother Showik Chakraborty and several others are also arraigned as accused in the case, with most of them currently out on bail. The NCB began its probe into alleged drug use in the film and television industry following the death of Sushant on June 14, 2020.