The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officials are questioning Karishma Prakash, ex-manager of actor Deepika Padukone, for the second consecutive day over the alleged drug links in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case. Prakash reached the NCB office at Ballard Estate at 11.55 am on Thursday, confirmed NCB officials.
She was interrogated by the central agency on Wednesday for nearly six hours.
“Since her questioning could not be completed on Wednesday, she is being questioned again today. Her statement would also be recorded on Thursday,” said an NCB official.
NCB officers refused to divulge the details of the questioning.
Prakash presented herself before NCB investigators after the central agency had given an assurance to a special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) court on Tuesday that it would not take any coercive action against Prakash. Following this, Prakash, through her lawyer, had also informed the court that she will cooperate with the NCB investigation.
While opposing Prakash in court, the NCB, through its counsel Atul Sarpande, had said that her name cropped up during the investigation of drug trial connected to late actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
The agency had last week searched Prakash’s residence in Versova and recovered 1.7 grams hashish and three bottles of cannabidiol (CBD) oil.
The NCB has so far arrested 25 people in the case. It is alleged that she was in contact with the peddlers arrested in the case. The anti-drugs agency had questioned Prakash on September 25 and 26 for approximately 12 hours as part of its probe into Rajput’s death.
Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, Rajput’s staffers Samuel Miranda, Dipak Sawant, alleged drug peddlers Zaid Vilatra and Abdul Basit Parihar were arrested in the course of the case.
Chakraborty was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on October 7, while her brother’s bail application was rejected. The special court on Tuesday extended his judicial custody till November 11.
“Prakash had tendered her resignation (from her service in KWAN) on 21st of October with immediate effect and it was accepted. She now has nothing to do with KWAN or with any of the artists that the agency represents, including Deepika Padukone. The ongoing investigations are on Karishma Prakash as an individual,” a statement by Vijay Subramaniam, co-founder and CEO of Kwan reads.
