No Fan Or Bed For Rhea Chakraborty In Jail; Given Milk With Turmeric To Boost Immunity

Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty who was late actor Sushant Singh Rajput's girlfriend, was arrested on Tuesday by the Narcotics Control Bureau after being charges for her alleged role in the drugs angle that emerged during investigation into Rajput’s death.

Shortly after her arrest, she was sent in judicial custody till September 22 by a local court. On Wednesday, she was shifted from the anti-drug agency's office in south Mumbai to the Byculla jail in Mumbai.

According to a report by NDTV, Rhea has been kept in a single cell without a ceiling fan or a bed. Her immediate neighbour is Indrani Mukerjea, accused of murdering her daughter Sheena Bora in 2012.

The report further states that Chakraborty has been given a single cell for security reasons. She has been provided with a sleeping mat (chatai); a table fan will be provided if allowed by court.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, prisoners are also given milk with turmeric to boost their immunity.

A special court here on Friday rejected the bail pleas of Rhea and her brother Showik. The court also rejected the bail pleas of four other accused in the case.

Rhea's lawyer Satish Maneshinde said they would decide further course of action after perusing the court order.

"Once we get a copy of the order passed by the special NDPS court, we will decide next week on further course of action and about approaching the Bombay High Court," he said.

In her bail plea, Rhea had claimed that she was falsely implicated in the case.

Rhea had also retracted the confessional statement recorded by the NCB when she was questioned for three days.

She had claimed that the NCB officials had coerced her into making self-incriminating statements.

The NCB had strongly opposed the bail pleas and said that Rhea was conscious of the fact that Rajput was consuming drugs, but despite that she continued procuring and making payments for drugs.

The NCB had said that although the quantity of banned drugs seized in the case was small, it was still a commercial quantity and worth Rs 1,85,200.

"Rhea Chakraborty and Showik Chakraborty financed and arranged drugs for Sushant Singh Rajput and at his instructions," the NCB had said in its affidavit responding to the bail pleas.

It added that as per the statement given by co-accused and Rajput's domestic help Dipesh Sawant, he used to procure drugs from other accused in the case on the instructions of Rajput and Rhea.

"The financial transactions were handled by Rhea and sometimes Rajput. Dipesh Sawant used to procure drugs along with co-accused Samuel Miranda (former house manager of Rajput) for Sushant Singh Rajput's consumption," the affidavit said.

The NCB had further said that if the accused are released on bail, they may tamper with evidence and try to intimidate key witnesses in the case.

The NCB began its investigation after the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which was probing money laundering charges linked to the case, shared the social media chats retrieved from Rhea's mobile phone, hinting at the use of banned drugs.

Rajput was found hanging in his residence in suburban Bandra on June 14.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is separately probing a case against Rhea and others for allegedly abetting the 34-year-old actor's suicide.