NCB drug probe: Sushant Singh Rajput's friend Siddharth Pithani sent to 14-day judicial custody

Sushant Singh Rajput's friend Siddharth Pithani, who was arrested on May 26 by the Narcotics Control Bureau, has been sent to 14-day judicial custody on Friday, news agency ANI reported. Pithani was arrested in connection with the drug case that the NCB is probing in the aftermath of Sushant Singh Rajput's death on June 14, 2020.

Pithani was a former flatmate of the late actor and was staying with him during the lockdown last year, reports said. He was one of those who discovered Sushant's body on June 14. According to the NCB statement, Pithani has been long absconding and fleeing justice. The NCB Mumbai team gathered intelligence about Pithani's whereabouts and traced him to Hyderabad. After he was produced in a court, Pithani was remanded to the custody of the NCB till June 1, which got extended till June 4. Now he will be sent to judicial custody.

Pithani's arrest comes just almost a year after Sushant Singh Rajput's death into which a multi-agency probe is going on. The NCB has been probing the drugs angle of the case after the Enforcement Directorate shared some chats related to drug purchase and procurement with the NCB.

After Pithani's arrest, the NCB arrested drug peddler Haris Khan in connection with the same case. Khan is believed to have links with gangster and drug peddler Parvez Khan alias Chinku Pathan, an associate of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

In the latest development of the Sushant Singh Rajput case, the NCB has recently interrogated two former domestic workers of the late actor — Neeraj and Keshav.

Sushant's friend Rhea, her brother Showik, and several of his staff members including Samuel Miranda, Deepesh Sawant, were arrested in connection with this case and the NCB said many have disclosed that Pithani was also involved in the procurement of drugs.

Pithani's association with Sushant Singh Rajput started around 2017 as Sushant's friend Ayush Sharma introduced them. In 2019, Pithani came to Mumbai and stayed with the late actor for some time. At that time, Pithani was working on Sushant Singh Rajput's Dreams 150 project.