NCB probing link between Bollywood and drugs traffickers: MHA in Parliament
The anti-drugs investigation agency has already arrested 10 people in this particular case, mainly drug suppliers and conduits. Based on a reference from the Enforcement Directorate, NCB had filed a case against Rhea and her family members on August 26. She was arrested on September 8 and is currently in judicial custody.
The ministry of home affairs (MHA) said in Parliament on Tuesday that it hasn’t come across any actionable intelligence which suggests that there is a nexus between Bollywood celebrities and drug traffickers.
However, it said, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is investigating a case in this regard.
The anti-drugs investigation agency had on August 28 registered a second case, an offshoot of the probe against actor Rhea Chakraborty, to investigate a link between various persons in Mumbai in the supply of drugs.
The agency has already arrested 10 people in this particular case, mainly drug suppliers and conduits. Based on a reference from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), NCB had filed a case against Rhea and her family members on August 26. She was arrested on September 8 and is currently in judicial custody.
“During the period of Covid-19 lockdown, no such actionable inputs were received by NCB revealing the nexus between people in the film industry and drug traffickers. However, a case in this regard has been registered by NCB Mumbai Zonal unit on 28.08.2020,” said Union minister of state for home G Kishan Reddy in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
“Drugs such as Ganja, Hashish, Tetra Hydro Cannabinol and Lysergic acid De-ethylamide have been seized in the operation,” MHA said. The ministry was responding to a query from Kumbakudi Sudhakaran, a Congress lawmaker from Kerala, who asked if the government had conducted a detailed enquiry in the nexus between people in the film industry and those involved in drug trade during Covid-19.
The NCB comes under the Union home ministry.
