Bollywood drug probe: Deepika Padukone broke down thrice during questioning, say NCB sources
NCB sources have revealed that Deepika Padukone broke down thrice during questioning.
According to sources, Deepika Padukone cried three times during questioning by the Narcotics Control Bureau officials on Saturday.
Narcotics Control Bureau officials are eyeing big drug peddlers after questioning Bollywood actresses Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan. Officials also said that no new summons have been issued today.
MA Jain, Deputy Director-General of NCB said, "18 to 19 people have been arrested so far. Most of the bails are in the high court. We will submit the statements taken today before the court".
He added that Kshitij Prasad will be produced before the court tomorrow morning via video conferencing. "Karan Johar's party video has no connection to this case," he said.
Earlier, Sara Ali Khan and Shraddha Kapoor left the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) office after being grilled for over five hours. Both the actress have denied consuming drugs.
According to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) sources, Sara Ali Khan has denied consuming drugs. However, she confessed her closeness to Sushant Singh Rajput while shooting her debut film Kedarnath. The actress also told the NCB officials that she visited Sushant's farmhouse and parties, said sources.
Deepika Padukone has left the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) office. The actress was grilled for more than five hours. She was summoned by the NCB in Bollywood drug probe. She arrived at the NCB office at 9:45 am today. Deepika's manager, Karishma Prakash, has also left the agency office.
Deepika Padukone has admitted that she discussed drugs with Karishma Prakash in the WhatsApp chat retrieved by the Narcotics Control Bureau. The actress was grilled by the NCB today. Earlier, Karishma was also questioned in the drug probe. The two women were also made to confront each other by the NCB officials.
10.55 pm: NCB sources said Deepika Padukone broke down thrice during questioning on Saturday. However, NCB officials told her not to play 'emotional card', and tell the truth.
She has accepted that the chats about drugs are hers but has denied consuming or supplying drugs to anyone else.
NCB officials did not ask her any questions in relation to Sushant Singh Rajput's death or Rhea Chakraborty.
10.50 pm: Rakul Preet has moved the Delhi High Court seeking interim directions to ensure that the media does not broadcast any programme or publish, print or circulate any article relating to her in the drugs case.
Bollywood Actor Rakul Preet Singh has moved Delhi High Court seeking an interim direction to the respondents to ensure that the media does not broadcast any programme or publish, print or circulate any article or write-ups relating to her in drug case. — ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2020
Rakul's name surfaced during the NCB investigation in Sushant Singh Rajput death case.
In the application, she said she was in Hyderabad for a film shoot and on the evening of September 23, she was shocked to see media reports that NCB has summoned her to appear before it in Mumbai the next morning in connection with the drug case.
However, she had not received any summons either on her Hyderabad address or Mumbai address and remained in Hyderabad.
The plea claimed that the media started running fake news to the effect that the actress who was in Hyderabad had supposedly reached Mumbai on September 23 evening for the NCB investigation.
It said she received the summons on the morning of September 24 through WhatsApp after which she appeared before the NCB the next day to assist in the investigation and gave her written statement as to the facts in her knowledge.
The application claimed that the media continued to maliciously broadcast and publish fake news against her.
10.01 pm: The NCB has seized Sara Ali Khan's mobile phone in order to gather clues in the drugs probe. This phone will be sent for forensic investigation.
During interrogation, NCB also asked Sara for her mobile phone used by her in the years 2017 and 2018.
However, she said that she isn't aware where those phones are and hence could not provide them.
9.55 pm: The NCB has also seized Deepika Padukone's mobile phone for more clues. Her manager Karishma's phone has also been taken into possession by the officials. NCB has also seized the mobile phones of Jaya Saha, Rakul Preet and Simon Khambata.
8.15 pm: NCB's special investigative team may leave for Delhi on Monday. A full report of the investigation will be submitted to the Director-General of NCB.
8.08 pm: Sources have revealed that the Narcotics Control Bureau is eyeing some big peddlers after grilling Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan and Shraddha Kapoor on Saturday. The NCB may be preparing for a big seizure or raid for drugs. The agency is also focused on revert investigations.
7.45 pm: Kshitij Prasad has been booked under section 27A (Punishment for financing illicit traffic and harbouring offenders) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
He worked as an executive producer with Karan Johar's Dharmatic Entertainment. Kshitij was detained on Friday. He was summoned for questioning by the NCB on Thursday. However, as he was in Delhi, he joined the investigation on Friday. A small quantity of marijuana was seized by the NCB from Kshitij's home.
7 pm: NCB officials said that no new summons have been issued today and that the statements of Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor and others questioned today have been recorded and will be reviewed. NCB has also clarified that they are not investigating Karan Johar's 2019 party.
Meanwhile, Kshitij Prasad will be produced before the court tomorrow morning via video conferencing.
5.45 pm: Sara Ali Khan and Shraddha Kapoor leave the NCB office. They were questioned for over five hours.
4.20 pm: Sources say that Sara Ali Khan has refuted the allegations that she consumed drugs. She has confessed to her closeness to Sushant Singh Rajput while shooting for Kedarnath. She admits to smoking cigarettes but denies consumption of drugs. The actress has also confessed visiting Sushant's farmhouse and parties. As of now, she has not responded to the allegations levelled by Rhea Chakraborty.
4.05 pm: Deepika Padukone leaves the NCB office. Her manager, Karishma Prakash, has also been relieved by the NCB for today.
4.00 pm: Senior NCB official KPS Malhotra leaves the office after questioning Deepika Padukone.
3.35 pm: The questioning of Deepika Padukone ends. The actress was grilled for 5 hours by the NCB. She will soon leave the NCB office. The actress is unlikely to be called again for questioning.
3.00 pm: Shraddha has denied consuming drugs during the NCB questioning. The agency officers, however, are not satisfied with her answers.
2.50 pm: The NCB arrests Karan Johar's former employee Kshitij Prasad after two days of questioning. He used to work as an executive producer with Dharmatics Entertainment. According to NCB officials, Kshitij allegedly arranged drugs on multiple occasions.
1.25 pm: Deepika Padukone admits discussing drugs with Karishma Prakash on WhatsApp. The actress was confronted with her manager by the NCB.
1:00 pm: Sara Ali Khan arrives for questioning at the NCB office.
12:20 pm: Deepika Padukone is being confronted with her manager, Karishma Prakash. During the questioning on Friday, Karishma confessed to the WhatsApp drug chats.
12.05 pm: Sara Ali Khan leaves for the NCB office from her home. Earlier, she was called in at 10:30 am today. However, she sought time from the NCB. She was then asked to report at 12:30 pm.
11.45 am: Shraddha Kapoor arrives at the NCB office. She has been summoned for questioning in Bollywood drug probe.
10.50 am: Deepika Padukone's manager, Karishma Prakash, arrives at the NCB office. She was grilled for hours on Friday. A WhatsApp chat, between the actress and the manager, was retrieved by the agency where they are seen discussing drugs. The chats were from 2017.
9.45 am: Deepika Padukone has reached the NCB office for questioning. The actress was called in by the NCB officials at 10 am. A team of four NCB officials is grilling the actress.
#DeepikaPadukone reaches NCB office. India Today's @divyeshas shares more details.
(@ankit_tyagi01) #ITVideo #Maharashtra #Mumbai pic.twitter.com/llkrQO3lG6 — IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) September 26, 2020
Deepika Padukone had left her home in Mumbai in the wee hours today to avoid media. She reached the NCB office on time. The actress was not accompanied by her actor husband, Ranveer Singh.
On Thursday, the NCB grilled Kshitij Prasad, who worked as an executive producer at Karan Johar's Dharmatic Entertainment. Earlier, his Mumbai home was raided by the agency and drugs were seized. Kshitij was in Delhi when he was summoned by the NCB. He reached Mumbai on Friday. Kshitij has been detained by the NCB for further questioning. The agency questioned another former-Dharma Productions employee, Anubhav Chopra, on Friday.
Distancing him from the drug controversy, Karan Johar released a statement on social media Friday night. The filmmaker said that he doesn't know the men in question personally. "I would like to state that several media/news channels have been airing news reports that Kshitij Prasad and Anubhav Chopra are my aides/close aides. I would like to place on record that I do not know these individuals personally and neither of these two individuals are aides or close aides," Karan Johar said.
The NCB is likely to investigate Karan Johar's alleged drug party, which was held in 2019. The party was attended by the who's who of Bollywood, including actors like Deepika Padukone, Vicky Kaushal, Ranbir Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Zoya Akhtar, Shahid Kapoor and Malaika Arora, among others. The celebs can be summoned by the NCB soon.
Coming back to Deepika, the NCB revealed that the actress was the admin of a WhatsApp group for drug chats. Jaya Saha and Karishma Prakash confessed of being part of the group. Karishma's WhatsApp chats with Deepika were retrieved by the NCB. In the chats, they are seen discussing drugs.
Sara Ali Khan and Shraddha Kapoor's name cropped up in the drug controversy after a boatman told the NCB that Sushant Singh Rajput used to party at his Lonavala farmhouse. In his statement to the NCB, the boatman, Jagdish Das, had claimed that the scenic location was a party destination for Rajput, his core team and Bollywood friends like Rhea Chakraborty, Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor, and arrested drug-peddling suspect Zaid Vilatra, among others.
Rhea Chakraborty, in her statement to the NCB, also confessed that she would party with Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor, Rakul Preet Singh and Sushant Singh Rajput at the Lonavala farmhouse.
ALSO READ | Bollywood drug probe: After NCB detains Kshitij Prasad, Karan Johar says 'not Dharma Productions employee'
WATCH | Will NCB prove charges or will it end up as a fishing expedition?