The Narcotics Control Bureau has extended its probe into drug usage in Bollywood to a talent agency called KWAN Talent Management Agency. NCB confirmed to TNM that Karishma Prakash, who works with KWAN Talent Management Agency, has been summoned for questioning. The talent agency has been under the Enforcement Directorate's scanner in the Sushant Singh Rajput death investigation.
Karishma, in fact, handles top actor Deepika Padukone's account. Though TV channels reported that chats between Karishma and Deepika are being investigated and the actor could be summoned too, the NCB officer told TNM that 'other course of investigation will unfold later'.
Kwan's head talent manager Jaya Saha’s name, who also handled Sushant Singh Rajput, has featured in NCB’s investigation, as per reports in several media outlets for her alleged role in procurement of narcotics for Bollywood actors. She was questioned on Monday by the NCB and has been called back again on Tuesday along with Shruti Modi. Saha was questioned for over five hours by NCB sleuths over alleged chats related to drugs with several other celebrities. The official said that the agency has asked Saha to appear before it once again on Tuesday.
Shruti Modi, who was also Sushant Singh Rajput's talent manager, was reportedly questioned about the use of drugs by Sushant and his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, who was earlier arrested by the agency. The official said that Shruti was also asked about her alleged chat with Rhea, where they are seen discussing providing drugs to Sushant. The NCB also questioned Shruti on whether she was aware of drug use by Sushant and Rhea.
The NCB has been looking into Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa's complaint about a video from 2019 that was tweeted by Karan Johar, where several actors including Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal and Malaika Arora were present.
It was earlier reported that the Narcotics Control Bureau will be summoning Bollywood actors Sara Ali Khan and Shraddha Kapoor for questioning in connection with the probe into the drugs angle in the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. A NCB source reportedly told IANS: "This week, we will be sending summons to Sara, Shraddha and several others for questioning."
Times Now has meanwhile reported that producer Madhu Mantena will also be summoned by the NCB after his name came up in questioning of some of those summoned earlier.
The NCB has arrested Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik Chakraborty, Sushant's personal staff Dipesh Sawant and several others in the case for allegedly procuring and transporting drugs. It had registered a case on a request from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after it found several WhatsApp chats between several people ostensibly for procuring drugs.