The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which has been conducting raids against drug supply and consumption in Maharashtra and Goa, arrested Kannada actor Shweta Kumari on Monday after she was detained during a raid at a Mumbai hotel.
The actor has been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.
As per an ANI report, the 27-year-old actor was taken for a medical test on Tuesday. She will then be produced before the court, where the NCB will be requesting for her custody.
Sameer Wankhede, zonal director, NCB, Mumbai said that the actor was arrested in connection with the seizure of 400 grams of Mephedrone during the hotel raid.
Kannada actor Shwetha Kumari was arrested today in connection with the seizure of 400 gram of Mephedrone (MD) by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on January 2: Sameer Wankhede, Zonal Director, Narcotics Control Bureau, Mumbai
— ANI (@ANI) January 4, 2021
The report mentioned that the NCB has launched operational activities to apprehend the main supplier along with peddlers. The agency is also conducting a financial investigation in seizure cases of an interstate drug syndicate.
The NCB has been investigating a drug racket after the suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June 2020.
Kumari is the the third Kannada actor to be involved in the investigation. Actors Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani were arrested in September 2020 and after being interrogated by the Central Crime Branch. They were alleged to have a connection with drug dealers and suppliers across the country, including Goa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala.
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In August 21, 2020, the NCB had raided an upscale gated community, Nikoo Homes, in Bengaluru. The agency seized a number of drugs and a diary that had the names of 15 celebrities- actors, musicians, models, reality show personalities- from the Kannada film industry. The names on the diary were accused of procuring drugs, arranging high-end rave parties, and supplying them at such events.
Recently, Galrani, who was released on bail on December 11, 2020, thanked her fans for their support and said she would return on social media once her health improved.
Actor Rhea Chakraborty, who was arrested along with her brother Showik Chakraborty by the NCB in a drug procurement case linked to investigations involving Rajput’s death, was granted bail in October 2020. On Monday, the Chakraborty siblings visited the Mumbai office of the NCB to mark their attendance, as part of their bail conditions.