Mumbai: A WhatsApp exchange between actor Rhea Chakraborty and Sushant Singh Rajput’s business manager Shruti Modi allegedly shows that Rhea was trying to get Sushant to quit marijuana.
The exchange, accessed by India Today, is from January 2020. In the conversation, an incident where Sushant cried during a meeting is brought up, followed by a message that says the actor would seek treatment immediately.
“He was to completely stop weed and he said he quit it since yesterday. He has gone off to sleep I am leaving for the day,” two messages, from a contact saved as Shruti 2, read. The messages also suggest that despite constant medical care, Sushant was ‘still not healing’ and that his doctor should be consulted about further treatment.
Previous text exchanges between Rhea and Sushant’s house manager, Samuel Miranda, and a woman named Jaya Saha, hinted at discussions about banned substances such as marijuana and MDMA.
“Incase we speak about hard drugs, I haven’t been doing too much. Tried MDMA once,” she allegedly messaged a man named Gaurav Arya, asking him, “You have MD?” The messages were accessed by Times Now.
Rhea’s lawyer has dismissed the reports. “Rhea has never consumed drugs in her life ever. She is ready for a blood test,” he said in a statement. Responding to the messages, Vikas Singh, the lawyer representing Sushant’s family, said that it was ‘highly illegal’ for drugs to be administered to the late actor without his knowledge.
Sushant died June 14, and his father has filed an FIR against Rhea and members of her family, accusing them of abetting his suicide and siphoning off his money, among other charges. The drug angle was uncovered after the Enforcement Directorate’s investigation into the financial aspects of the case. It is being reported that the ED has submitted this ‘prima facie’ information to the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Narcotics Control Bureau for further investigation.
Sushant’s sister, Shweta Singh Kirti, and brother-in-law Vishal Kirti have also reacted to the development. Shweta, calling it a ‘criminal offence’ in a tweet, has said that immediate action should be taken by the CBI on the matter. Both Rhea and Shruti Modi have been questioned by the Mumbai Police and the ED.