Drugs killing dream chasers in Mumbai
Mumbai, the financial capital of the country has always been infamous for the night life, party culture and also for being a drug hub. From Bollywood stars to street children, the drug menace has engulfed the dream chasers since years. But the anti-narcotics agencies are unable to scrutinise the religious supply of the drugs in the city. From being one of the transit hubs to becoming a hotspot of consumption, the city of dreams has taken away many lives.
DARK FACE OF THE INDUSTRY
A drug peddler in Mumbai claimed that over 70 percent of the Bollywood celebrities take drugs.
"High-end drugs such as MDMA, cocaine are very popular among the Bollywood stars, whereas rolling joints is a common thing to be seen in the television industry. For personal parties, these celebrities prefer the drugs in pills form. There is a huge demand for LSD as well. Snorting cocaine becomes difficult in front of people, but for personal usage, these stars prefer to coke it out," he revealed.
A peddler, who is a regular supplier of these drugs in 'Filmcity' and Bandra and Juhu areas, said that they have never done direct dealing with the celebrities. Their staff picks the stuff using code words and then pay via cash. Most of the time, large quantities of drugs are exchanged, unlike other consumers who demand a very small quantity.
Marine Drive is among an open market for sale and purchase of drugs. Code words such as 'One Puff', 'Maal', 'Stuff', 'Baby', 'Boom Shankar', 'Ak47', 'Doobie' and 'Paper' are being used for cocaine, 'MDMA', 'LSD' and 'Ganja'.
One of the sources in the Anti Narcotics Cell, Mumbai said that there are two big names in the drug business here - Chinku Pathan, who takes care of the areas in South Mumbai and Imma, who has a hold in posh areas like Bandra and Juhu.
"Imma, along with another supplier, is currently under the lens of the agencies and has been supplying cocaine and other stuff to many Bollywood celebrities," revealed the sources that are probing Sushant's death mystery.
The agencies are not looking at one particular 'WhatsApp' chat but a series of such chats along with call data records and the entire nexus of drug dealers, politicians, actors and A-listers in Bollywood.
SUSHANT'S DEATH LINKED TO DRUG ABUSE
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), who is probing the money-laundering case against Rajput's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, came across some 'WhatsApp' chats regarding procurement and consumption of drugs. The chats were later shared with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
The NCB too initiated a separate inquiry into the allegations under sections in the law on drugs related to 'possessing, purchasing and using narcotics substance' and 'abetment and criminal conspiracy to commit an offence'.
In a statement to the Mumbai Police, Neeraj Singh, Sushant's housekeeper, allegedly stated that a few days before the actor was found dead in his Mumbai home, he had rolled some marijuana cigarettes for the late actor.
Rhea, in a TV interview said that "Yes, Sushant used to smoke marijuana. He used to take it even before he met me. He started this during his shooting for 'Kedarnath'."
Sushant's ex-bodyguard Mushtaq, who left his job in February 2019, also alleged that he had seen him consuming expensive and imported drugs at private parties. "While travelling in his car, he used to do drug abuse," he said.
Sources in the NCB are not ruling out the possibility that Sushant was made an abuser of high-end drugs without his knowledge and when he became dependent on drugs, his body showed the adverse effects including depression and anxiety.
Rhea, along with her brother Showik, talent manager Saha, Sushant's co-manager Shruti Modi and Goa based hotelier Gaurav Arya were booked under sections 20, 22, 27 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS). They will soon
be quizzed by the federal anti-drugs agency.
ACTORS' SPEAK
Recently, Kangana Ranaut said that many A-listers in Bollywood consume illegal drugs. Narrating her ordeal, she said that she had been drugged in her early days in the film industry.
In 2019, popular rapper Hard Kaur revealed, "It was okay till 'gaanja' was the in-thing. Nowadays, the industry maxim is that if you do not do coke, you are not cool. Doing drugs has become a showoff factor. Cocaine, after all, is an expensive drug. It is like a gang versus gang thing. The ones who stay together, snort together."
She added, "It is almost like that I can do what I want (because) I am a star. Apparently, you are supposed to have a 'sex, drugs and rock and roll' lifestyle. I'm not a perfect person as you have seen me under the influence of alcohol, but I'm constantly aware that actors and models indulge in these things."
