Mumbai: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Wednesday arrested assistant director Rishikesh Pawar in connection with the alleged drug angle in the death of Hindi cinema actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Following Sushant’s death, NCB filed several drug related cases. Many big drug peddlers were arrested and many big actors and actresses were also called for questioning.
In one of the cases, the NCB was also looking for Sushant’s friend Rishikesh, who was eventually arrested after lengthy questioning by the police. Rishikesh is accused of providing drugs to Sushant. One of Sushant’s staff members, Dipesh Sawant, named Rishikesh as one of the persons supplying drugs to the actor.
Last year, when the NCB was investigating the drugs case, a drug supplier had also named Rishikesh.
Rishikesh had approached the Mumbai Sessions Court earlier, seeking anticipatory bail in the NCB case and then approached the Bombay High Court. The Bombay HC asked him to approach the Sessions Court where his application got rejected.
Following the rejection of the anticipatory bail application, NCB officials visited his Chembur residence but found that he had fled.
According to information received from sources, NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede was working in the case for a long time. Rishikesh was very close to Sushant and was working as the assistant director in Sushant’s dream project.
Sushant was found dead at his residence in Bandra June 14, 2020. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing his death while the NCB is investigating the drugs angle related to the case. NCB has arrested 30 accused in the alleged drug nexus in the case.