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NCB forced me to ‘falsely implicate’ Karan Johar: Film producer Kshitij Prasad on drugs probe

‘NCB officers said they would let me off if I implicated either Karan Johar, Somel Mishra, Rakhi, Apoorva, Neeraj or Rahil,’ he said.

NCB forced me to ‘falsely implicate’ Karan Johar: Film producer Kshitij Prasad on drugs probe

(File Photo: IANS)

A new twist comes in the Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) drugs probe allegedly linked to Sushant Singh Rajput’s case as the film producer Kshitij Prasad, who was arrested last week by NCB, said he was ‘harassed and blackmailed’ by the investigators.

Kshitij Prasad’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde told this to the Bombay High Court on Sunday.

Prasad was ‘forced to falsely implicate’ filmmaker Karan Johar and his other top executives, the lawyer underlined.

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“NCB officers said they would let me off if I implicated either Karan Johar, Somel Mishra, Rakhi, Apoorva, Neeraj or Rahil,” the lawyer quoted him as saying in a statement.

Kshitij Prasad’s lawyer had told the high court: “Kshitij Prasad was produced today (Sunday) for remand before the Ld Addl Chief Metropolitan Magistrate through video conference. Before the proceedings began I informed the Magistrate that Kshitij was harassed and blackmailed to make a statement apart from third degree and ill treatment.”

Karan Johar had on last week denied claims that Kshitij Prasad was associated with his firm productions.

“The NCB team found nothing in the house apart from the end bit of a stale and dry cigarette butt in the balcony, and the team began insisting it was a ganja joint. Upon his wife’s insistence, the word believed to be a ganja joint was inserted in the panchnama (probe record),” his lawyer said.

The names have appeared in WhatsApp chats that have been retrieved from the phone of Jaya Saha, Sushant Singh Rajput’s talent agent, who was also questioned by NCB. The WhatsApp conversations pertained to allegedly indicating marijuana was bought for consumption.

The anti-drug agency’s whose primary mandate is to go after larger drug cartels and not individual consumers, have said that agency was questioning Bollywood A-listers to understand the network of supply through alleged consumers. It should also be noted that none of these actors have been named as accused in any drugs probe case, and are only being questioned.

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