Bharti Singh, husband sent to 14-day judicial custody by Mumbai court

A Mumbai court sent comedian Bharti Singh and her husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa to judicial custody till December 4 after they were arrested in connection with the seizure of marijuana from their residence.

While Bharti was arrested on Saturday (November 21), Haarsh was taken into custody on Sunday (November 22), respectively, over allegations of possessing and use of marijuana.

Haarsh, a 33-year-old screenwriter, producer, and TV personality, was taken into custody after being questioned by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for 15 hours.

The couple’s home in Mumbai was searched by the NCB on Saturday.

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Officials said a “small quantity of cannabis” (86.5 grams) was found from their home in Andheri. They were then taken to the agency’s Mumbai office for questioning. Officials said the quantity of drugs found at the couple’s home was “not commercial” but could still invite up to 10 years in jail.

According to the NCB, during questioning, the duo admitted that they use narcotic substances.

“Both Bharti Singh and her husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa accepted consuming ganja. Singh was placed under arrest under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1986,” an NCB release read.

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According to an NCB official, a drug peddler, during questioning, mentioned Bharti’s name. On Saturday, the NCB also carried out searches at two other locations in Mumbai, officials added.

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

Over the last few months, Bollywood actors Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Rakulpreet Singh, and Shraddha Kapoor have all been questioned by the NCB.

In September, the agency had arrested Rajput’s girlfriend, actor Rhea Chakraborty, for allegedly procuring drugs for him. Rhea’s brother, Showik, some employees of the late film star, and a few others were also arrested under various sections of the NDPS Act. Rhea and some other accused are currently out on bail.

NCB had also summoned film producer Firoz Nadiadwala and his wife Shabana Saeed, who was arrested, after investigators allegedly found 10 grams of marijuana at their Juhu home during a raid. Saeed has since been released on bail.

In November, actor Arjun Rampal’s home was searched, and both he and his girlfriend, Gabriella Demetriades, were summoned for questioning. Demetriades’s brother, Agisialos Demetriades, a South African national, was also questioned and is in NCB’s custody.