Comedian Bharti Singh and her husband Harsh Limbachiyaa were granted bail on Monday afternoon after India’s Narcotics Control Bureau found controlled substances at their home. The couple was booked by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for possession of marijuana.
Officials said they recovered about 86.5 grams of marijuana from her apartment, after which the 33-year-old comedian and her husband, Haarsh Limbachiyaa were taken into custody. They were questioned for about 15 hours after which Bharti was arrested.
The agency claimed that Bharti Singh said in her statement that she used to smoke marijuana purchased by her husband.
NCB officials added that while the amount of drug found at Bharti and Haarsh’s house was not of commercial value, it could still land them in jail for up to 10 years. They added that the comedian’s name sprung up while the NCB was questioning a drug dealer. Apart from Bharti’s apartments, NCB also carried out searches at two other locations in Mumbai.
During interrogation, the couple admitted to consuming drugs. A statement by NCB read: “Both Bharti Singh and her husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa accepted consuming ganja. Ms Singh was placed under arrest under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1986.”
Soon after her arrest celebrities and comedians have spoken out about her reported drug use.
Speaking to Times of India, Johnny lever said: “Drugs is becoming a trend like alcohol used to be back in the day. Alcohol used to be easily available and lot of parties used to happen and even I made the mistake of drinking but then I realised alcohol is not good as it is affecting my talent and creativity and I quit. But consumption of drugs by this generation of creative people is crossing limits. And if you get caught indulging in it imagine what will your family go through and those who are watching your story on news channels and are consuming even lethal drugs must be going through….and if this trend of drug indulgence continues… hamari industry kharab ho jaayegi (out industry will get spoilt).”
Shekhar Suman told Spotboye: “Your talent should be your drug. Just be addicted to hard work and excellence. Sometimes in life it’s difficult to handle fame and money, especially if you are an upstart.”
The NCB has been questioning a number of celebrities for illegal possession and use of drugs. The death of Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput in June earlier this year probed the department to investigate actors based on the WhatsApp chats that surfaced iduring the investigation.
