Major Bollywood actors receive summons in Indian drug probe – Reuters Africa

MUMBAI (Reuters) – Some of Bollywood’s biggest actors are becoming questioned in a widening drug probe by federal organizations that has sent shockwaves by means of India’s beleaguered film field and dominated primary time news headlines.

Officials from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) have been investigating alleged drug use in Bollywood for the past thirty day period in link with the dying of Sushant Singh Rajput, a preferred actor who was located lifeless at his residence in June.

The NCB is scheduled to query actress Deepika Padukone, a person of the industry’s most perfectly-regarded names, on Saturday, Indian media reported. Officials at NCB’s Mumbai place of work did not react to calls from Reuters.

Padukone, 34, among the industry’s highest paid stars, was observed landing in Mumbai late on Thursday, in advance of her questioning on Saturday, according to nearby Tv information. Padukone or her associates had been not right away accessible to comment.

The NCB has already questioned numerous well-recognized folks connected to the market this week in Mumbai, which include producers, expertise administrators and a manner designer.

The investigation is aimed at unearthing a feasible nexus in between the movie business and the drug trade, an Indian regulation enforcement formal instructed Reuters.

“We don’t know who is up coming. It’s terrifying,” said a Bollywood producer, who did not want to be named, adding that there ended up fears that far more major names could attribute in the probe.

The 191 billion rupee ($2.59 billion) Indian movie field, of which Mumbai-based Bollywood kinds a major part, has been having difficulties with a lean 12 months, as theatres keep on to keep on being shut because of to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mumbai police to begin with documented Rajput’s death as accidental and neighborhood media identified as it a suicide, but the federal law enforcement company is now investigating if there was any foul play.

Earlier this month, the NCB arrested actress Rhea Chakraborty, who experienced been relationship Rajput at the time of his dying, for being “active in a drug syndicate connected with drug supplies”, according to a duplicate of her bail buy.

Chakraborty and her brother Showik are now in jail in Mumbai.