THE TIMES OF INDIA (August 6, 2020)

New Delhi: Enforcement Directorate has summoned actor Rhea Chakraborty for questioning on Friday after the agency is said to have found two major property investments by her in Mumbai. The ED has tracked financial transactions with regard to the property purchases.

Summons were issued to Chakraborty after her chartered accountant (CA), who was summoned for questioning on Wednesday, skipped the summon and evaded investigating officers of the Enforcement Directorate. According to sources, the ED has established two major financial trails in which Rhea Chakraborty was found to have invested money in properties. This is being investigated in light of the allegation by Sushant Singh Rajput’s father, K K Singh, that money was siphoned off from his son’s accounts.

The ED, which registered a money laundering investigation against Chakraborty and others last week based on an FIR of the Bihar police, has been trailing financial transactions of Sushant Singh and his girlfriend. Sushant’s father has alleged that Chakraborty had allegedly made large money transfers from his son’s accounts.

The FIR filed in Patna is against Chakraborty, her family members and six others alleging abetment to suicide. The Bihar police have also slapped charges of cheating, theft and wrongful confinement against the accused persons besides abetment of suicide. The Mumbai Police are already probing Rajput’s death and have recorded the statements of several Bollywood celebrities, including Chakraborty.

The agency had recorded the statement of Rajput’s chartered accountant Sandeep Sridhar on Monday and sought all details of the actor’s bank accounts and investments. The CA had earlier in press interviews claimed that he did not find any big balance or money transfers from Rajput’s accounts as alleged by his father. Shridhar’s statements had come amid unconfirmed reports of Rs 15 crore being transferred from Rajput’s bank accounts.

If the allegations of cheating are proved to have substance, the anti-money laundering agency can carry forward its proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and register a case against the accused and move to attach their properties as ‘proceeds of crime’.