Narcotics Control Bureau arrests comedian Bharti Singh in drug case

NCB seizes ganja from her house.

November 21, 2020 02:31 pm | Updated 10:14 pm IST - Mumbai

Actor Bharti Singh. Photo: Twitter/@bharti_lalli

Actor Bharti Singh. Photo: Twitter/@bharti_lalli

Comedian Bharti Singh was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau on Saturday for possession and consumption of cannabis.

This was confirmed to The Hindu  by Sameer Wankhede, the Indian Revenue Services officer leading the investigation.

Also read | NCB questions Deepika Padukone for five hours in drug racket case

Mr. Wankhede said Ms Bharti’s husband Harsh Limbachiya was still being questioned by the NCB. Their residence and official premises were searched and 86 grams of cannabis was found. Ms. Bharti was arrested under several provisions of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

“Both Ms. Bharti Singh and her husband Harsh Limbachiya admitted to consumption of ganja,” an NCB release said.

The quantity allegedly seized from Ms. Singh’s possession is considered “small quantity” under the Act, as against “commercial quantity”, an NCB official said. Up to 1,000 gm of ganja is considered small quantity, which attracts a jail term of up to six months and/or fine of ₹10,000. Possession of commercial quantity — 20 kg or more — can attract up to 20 years in jail. For the quantity in between, the punishment can be as long as 10 years in jail.

“Ms. Singh’s name had cropped up during the interrogation of a drug peddler,” he added. The agency also carried out searches at two other locations in the metropolis, the official said.

Bharti Singh has appeared in many comedy and reality shows on TV. She has also hosted a few such shows.

The NCB has been probing the alleged drug use in Bollywood after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June, on the basis of WhatsApp chats involving drugs.

( With inputs from PTI )

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.