Ahmed Ali (THE TIMES OF INDIA; September 4, 2020)

Mumbai: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) probing the drug angle in the actor Sushant Singh Rajput case has detained Kaizan Ibrahim alias Jaison, who is believed to be a drug peddler. Kaizan is said to have been in touch with Rhea Chakraborty’s brother, Showik.

The NCB had on Wednesday arrested Bandra residents, Zaid Vilatra and Basit Parihar, after their names came up in the “drug chats” that have surfaced in the case. Sources said Vilatra was in Showik’s contact list.

Sources said the fresh detention is connected with the alleged chat between Showik and a few suspected traffickers who are believed to be main suppliers of drugs to celebrity parties. Kaizan was also in contact with Parihar and Vilatra.

The NCB is likely to summon Showik in a day or two, sources added. Parihar is also connected with Rhea’s friend Samuel Miranda who has been booked by the CBI in Rajput’s death case.

Vilatra was produced before the Esplanade Metropolitan Magistrate court on Thursday and remanded to NCB custody till September 9. Officials said Parihar will be produced before the court on Friday. “NCB is investigating the drug angle in the Sushant Singh Rajput case and therefore…needs to be investigated thoroughly so as to uproot the drug cartel in Mumbai, especially Bollywood,” Vilatra’s remand application stated. His lawyer Tarak Sayyed said, “The first thing is the recovery was very small. Zaid has not given any voluntary statement and NCB’s claims are false.”

The NCB had recovered Rs 10 lakh worth Indian and foreign currency from Vilatra, which officials said were proceeds of drug peddling. His name had cropped up during the interrogation of two arrested accused, Abbas Ramzan Ali Lakhani and Karn Arora, on Saturday.
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The agency has his chat records with Showik Chakraborty
Somendranath Sharma (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 4, 2020)

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) sleuths have detained one more person for his alleged links with a drug syndicate that is being investigated by it. The NCB has records of the accused with Showik Chakraborty, brother of actor Rhea. The agency has so far arrested four people in the case. In its remand application submitted before the magistrate court on Thursday, NCB stated that it is investigating Sushant Singh Rajput death case, and, therefore, the accused needs to be investigated thoroughly so as to uproot the ‘drug citadel’ in Mumbai, especially in Bollywood.

The detained person has been identified as Mohammed Kaizan Karamilahi Ebrahim, 23, a resident of Khar West. He is a real estate broker and bachelor in accounting and finance.

On the intervening night of August 27 and 28, the NCB officials had conducted a raid in Mumbai and two persons – Abbas Lakhani and Karan Arora – were arrested, and bud (curated marijuana) was seized from them. The detailed network analysis and a follow-up investigation uncovered links between Abbas Lakhani and one Zaid Vilatra, a resident of Bandra.

After due procedure and taking evidence on record, Zaid was apprehended on Tuesday. During the search Indian currency (Rs 9.55 lakh) and foreign currency – 2,081 US dollars, 180 British pounds and 15 dirhams (UAE currency) was recovered, which Zaid disclosed as proceeds of drug peddling.

Zaid disclosed that he runs an eatery shop at Bandra, which was not giving any pecuniary gains since lock-down. He also disclosed that he is into drug peddling, especially bud, through which he used to earn a substantial amount of money, officials said.

“Zaid was in touch with Samuel Miranda. Based on Zaid’s interrogation, Abdel Basit Parihar, also a Bandra resident, was made to join the investigation. During Basit’s interrogation we learnt about his links with Showik Chakratbory. Showik used to purchase drugs (bud) from Basit. This was established from the chat records of Basit and Showik. As per the voluntary statement of Basit, one more suspect Kaizan Ibrahim is under questioning for further investigation. He has been providing drugs to Showik and his friend circle – Bashit and others. Showik’s phone has chats with Kaizan and Showik had asked him that one of his friend would call him using his reference. So far, no incriminating thing/article has been seized from Ibrahim, except his mobile phone,” said an NCB official.

Zaid’s lawyer Tarak Sayyad filed an application in court and claimed that whatever statement Zaid had given to the NCB was not true and that the statement was taken by force.