Bollywood actor Rhea Chakraborty charged for buying and receiving drugs for Sushant Singh Rajput

Bollywood actor Rhea Chakraborty was charged on Wednesday for purchasing and financing narcotics for her late boyfriend and fellow actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who died two years ago.

India’s anti-drugs agency, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), named her and 34 others accused in the high-profile case. Her brother, Showik Chakraborty, has also been accused of playing a part in it.

According to NDTV, the NCB said that Chakraborty received and delivered the drugs to Rajput. She also made payments on his behalf, the anti-drugs authority said.

According to the news site, if the Chehre actor is convicted on the charges, she could face over 10 years of jail time.

In an interview with NDTV two years ago, Chakraborty had called all allegations against her a “witch-hunt”. While she admitted that Rajput used to smoke illegal substances, she denied being involved in the matter. “I tried to control him… I have never spoken to a (drug) dealer or taken drugs in my life. I am open to a blood test,” she had told the news outlet.

She’s been accused by Rajput’s family of mental abuse, exploiting him for money and playing a part in his tragic death. Besides the NCB, Chakraborty is also being investigating by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), an Indian government agency, that is probing Rajput’s death. The economic aspect in the case is also being looked into by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of India.

In 2020, the actor was arrested in the case but a month later was granted bail by the Bombay High Court.

While the police had said that Rajput’s death was a death by suicide, the NCB launched a probe into the use of drugs in Bollywood and the television industry. Rajput, who was 34 at the time, was found dead in his apartment in Bandra, an upscale neighbourhood in Mumbai, in 2020.