NCB quizzes Deepika's ex-manager in drugs case

MUMBAI: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Wednesday questioned actress Deepika Padukone's former manager Karishma Prakash in connection with a drugs case linked to the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

The development comes a day after she was asked by a Mumbai court to appear before the NCB. Prakash had applied for anticipatory bail on Sunday, after which the special court gave her interim relief from arrest till November 7.

Also read: Deepika Padukone To Issue A Statement Soon On Drug Chat

Prakash had been untraceable after the drug enforcement agency summoned her for questioning as it found some hashish and CBD oil from her premises during the raids conducted last month.

According to NCB sources, Prakash appeared before the NCB earlier in the day and was questioned about her whereabouts when she went untraceable and was also asked about the reason of the CBD oil and hashish found at her home.

The sources further said that NCB also asked her about the names of the drug peddlers who were found to be linked with her.

Earlier in the day, Vijay Subramaniam, co-founder and CEO of KWAN, in a statement said, "Prakash tendered her resignation on October 21 with immediate effect and it was accepted."

He said that Prakash now has "nothing" to do with KWAN or with any of the artists that the agency represents, including Deepika.

"The ongoing investigations are on Prakash as an individual. We would request media houses and reporters to incorporate this fact while reporting on this issue," he said.

The NCB had earlier recorded the statement of Prakash in September. The NCB also quizzed Deepika, and actresses Shraddha Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan in connection with a drugs case in the Sushant death probe.

The NCB has also seized the phones of the three actresses and sent them to the forensic department. It also recorded the statement of actress Rakulpreet Singh.

The drug enforcement agency had registered a case on the request of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after some alleged chats discussing drugs came to fore in August.

Sushant was found dead in his flat on June 14. Besides NCB, the CBI and ED are also probing the death of the actor.

Also read: Bollywood Drug Cartel: Confirmed that Deepika Padukone was the admin of the WhatsApp group where drugs were discussed