The NCB on Wednesday filed a criminal case against Rhea Chakraborty (File)
The Odisha Police said on Thursday that it would cooperate with the agencies probing the death case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput if its help is sought regarding purported messages that suggested the availability of weed in Bhubaneswar.
Director-General of Police Abhay said there is no clarity on the issue and he came to know about it from discussions on social media and the press.
The entire drugs issue came to fore on Wednesday. If the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) or any other agencies seek any help from the Odisha Police, we will definitely cooperate in the investigation, he told reporters.
It is a particular case and another agency (NCB) is currently investigating it. Commenting on it would not be appropriate, he added.
The NCB on Wednesday filed a criminal case against Rhea Chakraborty and others to probe their alleged dealings in banned drugs, officials said.
The alleged narcotics dealing links are connected to the criminal probe being conducted in the death of Rajput, 34, who was found hanging at his duplex flat in Mumbai's Bandra area on June 14.
The deleted messages, officials said, allegedly indicate dealings in banned drugs and chats about the procurement and consumption of these drugs that includes cannabis.
Ms Chakraborty has been questioned by the ED about these suspected drug deal messages deleted from her phone and her statement on these allegations has been recorded by it under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said.
It is understood that the "deleted WhatsApp messages"
pertain to Ms Chakraborty purportedly talking to her friends and some of Rajput's domestic helpers about certain banned narcotics.
The NCB, they said, will probe the possible "source, trade, consumption and handling" of these banned drugs and their possible links to Rajput as well as his death, they said.
The messages reportedly had references to the availability of "best weed ever" in Bhubaneswar.
On the availibility of banned drugs in the state, Abhay said, Our efforts are on to curb such illegal activity and we have seized over 630 quintals of ganja so far this year, which is higher than the total seizures made in 2018 and 2019."
Replying to a query on Ms Chakraborty's visit to Odisha, the DGP said it is not under the purview of the state police and another agency is probing the matter.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)