A court in Mumbai on Tuesday, 8 September rejected Rhea Chakraborty's bail plea in the drugs case and remanded her in judicial custody till 22 September, PTI reported.
“She has been sent to jail upto 22nd of this month. Her bail application has been rejected. She will stay here (in NCB office) today and will go to the jail tomorrow morning,” Special public prosecutor Atul Sarpande told the media after the hearing, as quoted by ANI.
The Narcotics Control Bureau had demanded a 14-day judicial custody for Rhea for allegedly procuring drugs for late actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
The NCB based Rhea’s arrest on the testimonies of her brother Showik Chakraborty, Rajput’s house manager Samuel Miranda and local help Dipesh Sawant, and revealed their roles in the procurement of drugs.
According to NCB, Miranda also revealed that drugs used to be procured on the directions of both Sushant Singh Rajput and Rhea Chakraborty.
The NCB said that Rhea acknowledged her involvement in procurement of drugs and its financial transactions and her coordination with Miranda, Sawant and brother Showik.
The demand for the judicial custody comes the day NCB arrested Rhea under sections 8(c) [prohibition on purchase/transport/use of drugs], 20(b)(ii) [cannabis-related offences], 22 [psychotropic substances-related offences], 27A [financing illicit activities], 28 [abetment] and 29 [conspiracy] of the NDPS Act.
She was produced before a magistrate via video conferencing by 7.30 pm on Tuesday.
Mutha Ashok Jain, Deputy DG, South-Western Region, NCB, told reporters that whatever Rhea said was sufficient for her arrest.
“Rhea was sent for a routine medical check-up. She tested negative for COVID-19. Whatever she told was sufficient for the arrest. We have arrested her, it means we had enough,” Jain said adding, “We did not recover any contraband”.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)