Mumbai: The death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput has opened a Pandora’s Box regarding the rampant use of drugs in the Hindi and Kannada film industries. It took a new turn Sunday when the sleuts of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested television actor Preetika Chauhan while buying drugs in the ‘Versova’ locality in Mumbai. Various media channels have reported that Preetika Chauhan was caught red-handed while buying the contraband material. It should be stated here that Preetika has been part of TV shows like Sankatmochan Mahabali Hanuman, Savdhaan India and Devo Ke Dev Mahadev.
Sources said that the NCB sleuths were in plain clothes and were watching the movement of some others when they chanced upon Preetika. She was allegedly buying the drugs from a person who was under the scanner. Along with Preetika, the NCB also arrested four others.
Meanwhile another report by ANI states that a team of NCB’s Mumbai unit seized 99 grams of ganja from Preetika and another man named Faisal. Both of them were arrested and produced before the court. The tweet read, “A team of Mumbai Zonal Unit apprehended two persons at Machhimar, Versova, and succeeded in a seizure of 99 grams of Ganja from their possession, yesterday. The two persons – one Faisal & TV actor Preetika Chauhan – were arrested & produced before court: Narcotics Control Bureau.”
The investigation into the drugs probe intensified further after certain WhatsApp messages of Rajput’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty allegedly discussing drugs surfaced. The NCB have questioned the likes of Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor and Rakul Preet Singh after their names surfaced during the probe. All however, have denied the charges leveled against them.
NCB officials are trying to find out whether Preetika bought the drugs for herself or whether it was for someone else. They are investigating whether she is part of the supply chain which provides drugs to actors of the film industry here and elsewhere.