Sushant’s personal staff member Sawant remanded in NCB custody

PTI, Sep 6, 2020, 2:49 PM IST

Mumbai: A Mumbai court on Sunday, September 6 remanded late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s personal staff member Dipesh Sawant in the custody of the Narcotics Control Bureau till September 9 in connection with a drugs probe linked to the actor’s death.

Sawant was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) here on Saturday. He was produced before a local court that remanded him in the NCB’s custody further probe into the matter.

According to the NCB, it has so far arrested seven persons, including Showik Chakraborty (24), the brother of the main accused in this case Rhea Chakraborty, Rajput”s house manager Samuel Miranda, Sawant, and alleged drug dealer Zaid Vilatra in this “ongoing investigation”.

“Sawant is connected with Rhea, Showik, and Zaid and his custodial interrogation is required to confront him with them,” special public prosecutor Atul Sarpande said.

The NCB on Saturday said that Sawant was arrested by NCB for his role in procuring and handling of drugs. He was taken into custody based on statements and digital evidence.

Various angles surrounding the death of the 34-year- old actor are being probed by three federal agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The NCB is probing the drug angle in this case under criminal sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) shared with it a report following the cloning of two mobile phones of Rhea.

The NCB has said it is looking into “the drug citadel in Mumbai, and especially Bollywood” in this case.

Rajput was found dead at his flat in suburban Bandra on June 14.