Vijay V Singh (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 22, 2020)

Mumbai: On the first day of its probe in the Sushant Singh Rajput case, CBI officials questioned the late actor’s cook Neeraj Singh and house manager Samuel Miranda on Friday. The agency will also question his associates on the sequence of events that culminated in his death.

A separate CBI team spent the entire day at the Bandra police station gathering information and all relevant material from the police. The city police have been carrying out an inquiry to ascertain the facts behind his death. The CBI team left from the police station around 9 pm and declined to comment.

CBI officials arrived in the city on Thursday and Friday and split into different groups to record statements and collect evidence.

Rhea Chakraborty had appointed Samuel Miranda as house manager at Rajput’s flat and it is alleged that Rhea had given Rajput a mobile card for use which was procured using Miranda’s ID.

Rajput was found dead in his rented apartment at Bandra on June 14. Bandra police treated it as an accidental death and had taken Rajput’s personal phones, laptop and a diary as evidence.

The CBI is investigating the case following a Supreme Court order.

Rajput’s friend Siddharth Pithani, who was staying with the actor since last year, Neeraj and two other house employees, Keshav Bachner and Deepesh Sawant, were in the flat when the alleged suicide took place.

The CBI team will also record the statement of doctors who conducted the post-mortem and will examine the evidence collected with the help of forensic experts. It is learnt that once the statements of all those who witnessed the actor’s body in the flat are recorded, the central agency will recreate the crime scene at the Bandra flat with the help of experts.

Rajput’s family, which has accused Rhea and her family members of abetment to suicide, is seeking a detailed probe.
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Now, AIIMS sets up board to examine autopsy report

Durgesh Nandan Jha (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 22, 2020)

New Delhi: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has formed a medical board to examine and analyse the post-mortem examination report of Sushant Singh Rajput. Dr Sudhir Gupta, professor and head of the department of forensic medicine who will lead the medical board, has confirmed this to TOI. Dr Gupta said the medical board has been formed on the request of the CBI. “We will examine the autopsy report prepared by the doctors of Cooper Hospital in Mumbai. Detailed analysis of the viscera, ligature material (which was used for hanging), his clothes and photographs and videography of the autopsy will also be carried out,” he added.

Dr Gupta said the board will evaluate all possible manners of death, including the murder angle. The team will also visit Mumbai. The post-mortem report submitted by Cooper Hospital to Bandra police station had ruled out foul play and confirmed Rajput died due to hanging.