Actor Arrested After Alleged Drug-Filled Birthday Celebration

Naira Shah, a 26-year-old actress, and her friend were arrested on June 14 for allegedly hosting a drug-fueled party at a hotel in Juhu, a neighborhood in Mumbai, India. The party was organized to celebrate Shah’s birthday at an expensive hotel. Police claim they found Shah and Ashiq Sajid Hussain, 30, using charas, a hashish form of cannabis made in India.

Police in Santacruz, Mumbai raided Shah’s hotel room at around 3:30 a.m. on June 14, reports Indian Express News Service. They received a tip-off and allegedly found Shah and Hussain using charas. They were taken to Cooper Hospital in Andheri west for a drug test, and they rested positive, police said. They were arrested at the hospital. They were both booked for alleged possession and consumption of drugs under the Narcotics Drugs Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for consumption of drugs.

“They were produced before a magistrate court and granted bail,” Dyaneshwar Ganore, Senior Police Inspector of Santacruz police station, told Indian Express. Police are now investigating the source of the drugs, reports the Times of India.

Shah has not publicly commented on her arrest. She has over 54,000 followers on Instagram, where she has not posted since May 25. According to her IMDb page, her credits include Mirugaa, Burra Katha, and E Ee.

The police in India have been attempting to crack down on drug use among Bollywood stars. In early May, Dhruv Tahil, the son of actor Dalip Tahil, was arrested for allegedly buying illegal drugs from a seller multiple times between 2019 and 2021. Police obtained alleged communication between Tahil and a drug dealer. When the dealer was arrested in April, he allegedly had 35 grams of mephedrone on him. Tahil’s father did not comment on his son’s arrest. In September 2020, the Narcotics Control Bureau arrested over 18 people in connection with its investigation into Bollywood drug use, reports the Business Standard. The investigation into drugs in Bollywood began after actor Sushant Singh Rajput took his own life in June 2020.