Mumbai:
The Narcotics Control Bureau on Thursday arrested Bollywood makeup artist and hair stylist Suraj Godambe and one other person after seizing ”small quantity” of cocaine from their possession, an official said. The Mumbai zonal unit of the NCB, which is investigating the alleged Bollywood-drugs nexus, conducted a raid at Meera Tower in Oshiwara area of suburban Andheri on Wednesday.
Godambe and an auto-rickshaw driver, identified Lalchandra Yadav, were subsequently arrested on Thursday, the NCB official said. The NCB team seized 16 drug packets weighing 17.6 gm from their possession, he said, adding that the packets contained 11 gm cocaine.
Godambe is a popular makeup artist and hair stylist and has worked for some big production houses, he said. ”Godambe is the receiver of drugs in this case, while Yadav is the supplier,” the official said.
Yadav used to supply cocaine on behalf of a ”Nigerian syndicate”, he said. After questioning, both were placed under arrest on Thursday morning, the official said, adding they were produced before a Mumbai court which remanded them in NCB’s custody till December 16.
The NCB has been conducting searches in Mumbai since Tuesday and has arrested two persons, including drug peddler Rigel Mahakal, in connection with a drugs case related to actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. The probe agency seized ‘charas’ worth Rs 2.5 crore and Rs 13.51 lakh cash during the searches, he said.
Based on some WhatsApp chats involving drugs, the NCB has been probing the alleged use of drugs in some quarters of Bollywood after the death of Rajput in June this year. The agency had earlier arrested Rajput’s gilrfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik Chakraborty, some staff members of Rajput and a few others under sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Rhea Chakraborty, her brother, and some other accused were later granted bail..
