Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone’s manager Karishma Prakash, who has been summoned by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in connection with the drug probe linked to Sushant Singh Rajput’s death and an alleged racket in the film industry, is untraceable, news agency ANI reported on Monday.
Prakash was required to appear before NCB on Wednesday. The celebrity manager has not yet responded to the central agency’s summons, an NCB official said, according to ANI. “Prakash did not come for inquiry and NCB will wait for her to respond to the summons,” Sameer Wankhede, NCB’s Mumbai zonal director, said.
The federal agency had earlier searched the residence of Padukone’s manager where she was not present. NCB recovered 1.7 grams of hashish and three bottles of Cannabidiol (CBD) oil from her residence in Mumbai’s Versova.
Prakash, who is employed with KWAN talent management agency, was earlier questioned by the agency in late September. NCB had found that her WhatsApp chats included conversations about drugs with one ‘D’and it wanted to quiz the manager regarding that, reports stated.
According to news agency ANI, NCB has also summoned the employees of KWAN Talent Agency, which has become one of the foci of the Bollywood drug probe. The alleged drug links of Bollywood celebs, including A-listers, came to the fore following the federal agency’s investigation into the death of Rajput on June 14 at his apartment in Mumbai’s residence. Many celebs including Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Rakul Preet Singh and Shraddha Kapoor have been questioned by NCB.
The agency has so far arrested 18 people including Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, Rajput’s house manager Samuel Miranda, and his domestic help Dipesh Sawant. The 28-year-old Chakraborty is currently out on bail while the pleas of others have been dismissed by the court.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) are also simultaneously conducting a probe into the death of the 35-year-old Rajput in June this year and the associated money laundering link.
