Kshitij Prasad was summoned Thursday by NCB officials.
Mumbai / New Delhi:
Film producer Kshitij Prasad, who was arrested last week by the Narcotics Control Bureau as part of an expanded drug investigation into the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, has been “harassed and blackmailed” by the agents of the anti-drug investigation agency, his lawyer Satish Maneshinde told a court in Mumbai on Sunday. Mr. Prasad was “forced to wrongly implicate” filmmaker Karan Johar and his other top executives, the lawyer said.
“NCB officers said they would let me go if I involved Karan Johar, Somel Mishra, Rakhi, Apoorva, Neeraj or Rahil,” the lawyer cited in court said. Investigators “asked me to make a false allegation that they were using drugs,” he said. “I refused to comply with this despite the pressure put on me because I did not know any of these people personally … and I did not wish to falsely implicate anyone,” Mr Prasad said.
One of the investigators – Sameer Wankhede – was named in the lawyers’ statement. “Sameer Wankhede told him (Kshitij Prasad) that since he didn’t want to cooperate, he would teach him a lesson and make him sit on the floor next to his chair. Sameer Wankhede then put the shoe on his foot near Kshitij’s face and proclaimed that this was his real aukad (status), “the lawyer told the court, adding that other officers around” were making fun of this. critical situation “.
The incident “severely traumatized Kshitij, who had never been in this kind of situation before. After more than 48 hours in detention, he was extremely tired and shaken. He asked to speak to Sameer Wankhede alone and asked for ‘he had offended him “. Mr Maneshinde told the court, stressing that Mr Prasad “also reiterated that he would very much like to speak to his lawyer or his family”.
“Sameer Wankhede informed him that if he wanted to receive an appeal he would have to sign the statement they prepared, which he could retract later. Kshitij was unaware of the legalities involved and had never even come across the term “withdrawal of statement”. . After nearly 50 hours of interrogation, humiliation and torment, Kshitij is desperate to speak to his lawyer or his family, against his will and under the threats that signed the statement, “Maneshinde said. .
Karan Johar last week denied allegations that Kshitij Prasad was associated with his company – Dharma Productions. Mr Prasad joined Dharmatic Entertainment, a company linked to Dharma Productions, in November 2019 as one of the contract executive producers for a project that ultimately did not materialize, Mr Johar had said.
In a statement, Satish Maneshinde said on Sunday: “Kshitij Prasad was presented today (Sunday) for referral to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Ld Addl by video conference. Before the start of the proceedings, I informed the magistrate that Kshitij had been harassed and subjected to third-degree reporting and ill-treatment. “
Kshitij Prasad was called by NCB officials on Thursday, September 24, while in Delhi; they wanted to search his house in Mumbai. He returned to Mumbai the next day.
The NCB team “couldn’t find anything in the house except the end of an old, dry cigarette butt on the balcony,” and the team “began to insist that it was of a joint of ganja, “said his lawyer. “At the insistence of his wife, the word ‘believed’ to be a ganja joint was inserted into the panchnama (investigation file),” his lawyer said.
He was taken to the investigation agency’s office with two other friends on Friday.
