Vijay V Singh (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 29, 2020)

Mumbai: CBI on Friday questioned actor Rhea Chakraborty for the first time in connection with the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Rhea was interrogated for around 10 hours along with her brother Showik to get a clearer picture of their personal equation with Rajput as well as their business ventures with the late actor. Rajput’s friend Siddharth Pithani was questioned separately. CBI officials allowed Rhea to go around 9.30 pm following which she approached Santacruz police station to complain about the alleged aggressive behaviour of media persons at her building.

Since their arrival in the city on August 20, the CBI team has been piecing together the last few hours before Rajput’s death. The agency had questioned members of his staff who were present in the flat when he allegedly ended his life. Rhea is under the scanner in the abetment to suicide case being investigated by the agency based on allegations by Rajput’s family members. Rhea arrived at the DRDO guest house in Santa Cruz (east) along with Showik around 11 am. Showik, who is also a suspect in the case, was questioned for 15 hours on Thursday too.

In an interview to a TV news channel on Thursday, Rhea had denied the allegations, stating Rajput’s sister had been staying with him in the last few days before his death and, hence, she was in a better position to explain the actor’s frame of mind. Rhea claimed she had shared all the details with investigating agencies as she herself wanted to know the truth On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate, which is probing a related money laundering angle, examined Rhea’s bank locker in her father’s presence and found jewellery worth several lakhs. Officials indicated that most of it was accounted for. ED officials have called Rajput’s CA again.

The ED has also summoned Goa-based hotelier Gaurav Arya and asked him or his authorised representative to appear before it at 11 am Monday. ED officials pasted the summons at Arya’s hotel, The Tamarind, in Anjuna. Assistant director Rajiv Kumar said in the summons, “I consider the attendance of Gaurav Arya necessary in connection with the said investigation.” The ED has also called celebrity talent manager, Jaya Saha, again for questioning along with the details of around Rs 10 crore payment made to Rajput.

In another development related to Rhea’s housing loan, sources stated a private bank had sanctioned Rs 50 lakh housing loan to her for a flat worth Rs 76 lakh in an under-construction building in Khar East. Only the first disbursement of Rs 12.16 lakh was made in January in favour of the developer. “Rhea is paying a tranched EMI (EMI on the amount disbursed) of Rs 17,501,” the source said.
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Fadnavis raises questions over state’s investigation in case

Prasad Kulkarni (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 29, 2020)

Pune: Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis on Friday posed questions about the state government’s investigation into Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.“New revelations are coming out now that the CBI is investigating the matter. Why could these facts not be brought out when the Mumbai police were investigating? The CBI will find out the truth,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of the jumbo Covid-19 treatment facility in Baner. “The CBI entered the investigation after 40 days. There are talks about evidence having been destroyed. We should know why it happened. Was there political pressure on the Mumbai police?” Fadnavis said.

He refuted allegations that BJP leaders were dragging Shiv Sena leader Aditya Thackeray into the case. “All these allegations have no merit. No BJP leader has directly or indirectly mentioned Thackeray’s name in connection with this case,” he said.
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Her brother, and a friend and two staffers of the late actor also quizzed to examine events and circumstances related to his death at his Bandra flat on June 14
Abhishek Sharan (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 29, 2020)

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday grilled Rhea Chakraborty, her brother, Showik, and a friend and two staff members of actor Sushant Singh Rajput for over 10 hours in connection with its probe into the late Bollywood actor’s suicide on June 14 at his Bandra residence.

Chakraborty and the others were questioned in a coordinated manner to probe whether there was any foul play or conspiracy and allegations related to abetment to suicide and financial irregularities, agency sources said. Chakraborty, and the others, denied any wrongdoing, sources said.

Apart from Chakraborty and Showik, the agency quizzed Rajput’s friend Siddhartha Pithani, help Neeraj Singh and his former house manager Samuel Miranda in a bid to reconstruct the sequence of events and circumstances preceding the death, since June 8, when Chakraborty had exited Rajput’s Bandra residence and especially, on June 13 and 14, the sources said.

Rajput’s body was found hanging on June 14 by four residents at the Rajput flat, including Pithani and Neeraj. According to sources, Chakraborty was asked to recount the events that happened in June, especially on June 8.

Chakraborty arrived at the DRDO guesthouse, Santacruz, where the CBI team camps, at around 10.40 am and left after 9 pm.

According to sources, the CBI examined whether Chakraborty and Rajput had differences over his decision to shift to Coorg in Karnataka to do “organic farming that led to her departure on June 8 and whether she left with his medical papers and had subsequently blocked his phone number. This was one of the allegations of Rajput’s father, KK Singh, as per the July 25 FIR registered by Patna Police.

Chakraborty was also asked about two companies in which she, Rajput and Showik had stakes as well as a trip to Europe that the three took together last October, said sources. “Chakraborty has denied all allegations that have been against her in the case. On a few issues, we were told that her papers are with ED and that the police have in the past questioned her,” said a source.

Based on Rajput’s father’s complaint, the Patna Police had registered an FIR on charges, including abetment to suicide and cheating, that was handed over to the CBI later by the CBI even as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) registered its case to look into the money-laundering aspects. It was alleged by Rajput’s father that a group of six accused, including Chakraborty, Showik and Miranda, had conspired to control Rajput’s life and finances to their own end. The agency is also looking into records of telephonic interactions between Miranda and Chakraborty. Sources said the agency is verifying if there were over 280 telephonic interactions between the two from August 2019 to July 14 this year.

The ED launched a money-laundering investigation following allegations from Rajput’s family to Patna police that around Rs 15 crore was siphoned off within a year in tranches from a bank account of the actor to accounts with which he had no connection. Sources said the probe is looking into texts exchanged between two persons that suggest that the actor’s funds and a debit card were allegedly misused. The ED is also mapping withdrawals from Rajput’s multiple bank accounts to help throw light on where his money went and for what purposes.ED has summoned a Goa-based businessman to seek clarifications related to a few communications under its purview. The communications, reportedly between Chakraborty and others, allegedly contain conversations related to narcotic substances. Chakraborty’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde has said that she has never consumed drugs in her life and is ready for a blood test.

Pithani has been summoned by the CBI to appear before it again on Saturday. The agency can later seek clarifications from others as well, sources said.