Drugs case: Arjun Rampal to be quizzed by NCB today

The drug law enforcement agency has made a list of questions it wants to ask actor Arjun Rampal today November 13 about the banned painkiller the officers had seized from his house earlier this week The NCB for the second consecutive day on Thursday interrogated his partner Gabriella Demetriades in connection with the ongoing probe into the alleged drug nexus in BollywoodThe Special Investigation Team SIT of the Narcotics Control Bureau NCB during the raid at his house on November 9 found the banned drug The Ministry of Finance had banned the drug under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances NDPS Act in 2018 after a massive smuggling racket was bustedGabriella DemetriadesAt the time of the search we didnt find any valid prescription and nothing was shown to us by Rampal either If he brings a prescription on Friday the same will be thoroughly examined to ascertain if its genuine and who prescribed it to him and why said an NCB officer The NCB refused to reveal the name of the drug fearing it would hamper the investigationOfficers also confirmed that Rampal has been summoned in the case linked to the later actor Sushant Singh Rajput in which Rhea Chakraborty and her brother were arrested by the agency They said Rampal was supposed to appear before the NCB on Wednesday but the agency unearthed international links in the case possibly related to an international drug cartel and questioned Australian architect Paul Bartel on Thursday NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede confirmed the developmentGabriella Demetriades Arjun Rampalrsquos partner arrives at the NCB office in Ballard Estate along with her lawyer and bouncers on Thursday PICSURESH KARKERABartels name surfaced during the questioning of Agisilaos Demetriades Gabriellas brother Officers said Bartel is into construction business in the city and are currently verifying if he is part of any international drug syndicate According to the officers Bartel was in touch with Agisilaos and was a customer but they suspect that he might be a part of a larger drug syndicateThe NCB also questioned Gabriella for over six hours on Thursday She was allowed to leave after questioning as the agency has not found any evidence linking her to the alleged Bollywood drug nexus said officersAlso ReadArjun Rampal summoned by NCB on November 13 in drugsrelated caseWhat is the banned drug found at Rampals houseThe drug a painkiller was banned by the Centre in 2018 after probe agencies found that it was being smuggled at international level and has links to the terror group the Islamic State The NCB and police have been authorised to raid and prosecute those found in possession of the drug without a valid prescription It is also known as ISIS drug and fighter drug and is trafficked from countries like the US Canada and Amsterdam The drug is used widely by many global terror groups and domestic as well to boost their energy after sustaining an injury Even the Naxals have been found using such drugs an officer from Maharashtra AntiTerrorism Squad saidAustralian architect arrestedThe NCB arrested Australian architect Paul Bartel 35 in connection with drugs case linked to Sushant Singh Rajputrsquos death He was grilled by the agency for several hours on Thursday and was arrested on Friday morningNCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede confirmed that Paul Bartel has been arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances NDPS ActKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news