ED shares findings with central agencies, including the Narcotics Control Bureau; actor’s lawyer denies allegations, says she is ready for a blood test
Abhishek Sharan (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 26, 2020)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is investigating the money-laundering aspect of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, has allegedly found evidence of communication between the late actor’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and individual/s suspected to be part of a narcotics-peddling network, according to ED sources.

The ED has shared its findings with central agencies, including the Narcotics Control Bureau, for an inquiry into whether the communications were linked to purchase of narcotics for personal consumption or distribution, the sources said.

Chakraborty’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde denied the allegations and told Mirror on Tuesday: “Rhea has never consumed drugs in her life. Ever. She is ready for a blood test.”

Rajput’s body was found hanging at his Bandra residence on June 14 by four people, including one of his friends and staffers.

The ED has already registered a case against six people, including Chakraborty, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), based on a Bihar police case of July 25. The Bihar case was registered following a complaint by Rajput’s father, KK Singh, who accused the six of abetment to suicide and breach of trust. Chakraborty has already been questioned twice in connection with the case.

Rajput’s father K K Singh had accused Chakraborty and others of attempting to control his life and finances.

Chakraborty’s legal team had earlier denied all allegations levelled against her by Rajput’s father in his complaint to the Bihar police as “nonsense, afterthought and totally concocted for ulterior purposes”.

“Rhea denies all allegations of abetment to suicide, misappropriation of funds…” it said.

The team said Chakraborty would like the “truth” to be revealed following a “fair and impartial investigation”.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is also conducting a probe into the Rajput case after it took over the investigation from Bihar police, as ordered by the Centre.

The agency on Tuesday interviewed Rajput’s friend, former staffers and chartered accountant and accountant at the DRDO guesthouse, Santacruz, to reconstruct the incidents leading to the actor’s death and the state of his finances, agency sources said. The agency has been seeking details from staffers/former staffers Neeraj Singh, Deepesh Sawant and his friend Siddharth Pithani to understand what transpired at Rajput’s flat on June 14, when his body was found hanging, and the day before, June 13. A Mumbai police team, which had conducted an Accidental Death Report inquiry in the case, also met CBI officials at the guesthouse.

According to sources, Rajput had asked Pithani, who has done a course in film and video communication, to be a part of his ‘150 Dreams’ project, which sought to undertake philanthropic activities. Pithani was meant to handle videography and editing for audio-visual contents for the project, the sources said.

Among those interviewed was also Rajput’s former house manager, Samuel Miranda. The agency is verifying if a SIM card used by Rajput was procured using Miranda’s ID.
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The city police had earlier found that Sushant was taking drugs and his cook Neeraj Singh had mentioned it in his statement
Faizan Khan (MID-DAY; August 26, 2020)

Some crucial details shared by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), after going through actress Rhea Chakraborty's WhatsApp chats, are pointing towards possible drug dealings. The information was shared with the CBI as well on Monday. Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) summoned two Bandra Police officers, who were part of the city police team investigating the Sushant Singh Rajput suicide case, for questioning.

'Looking Into Details'
Confirming the same, NCB DG, Rakesh Asthana said they were looking into the drug angle, as ED had shared some specific details with them. However, Asthana refused to divulge more details about the possible drug links. "We have received some details based on Rhea Chakraborty's WhatsApp chats, which points towards possible drug dealings. They are being looked into," said another NCB officer.

The city police had earlier found that Sushant was taking drugs and his cook Neeraj Singh had mentioned it in his statement. "After details related to drugs emerged, we inquired about it and one of the key witnesses confirmed that he prepared doses for the actor," a senior city police officer said.

However, CBI continued with its investigation on the fifth day and grilled key witnesses Neeraj Singh (cook), Deepesh Sawant (house help) and Siddharth Pithani (flat mate). Apart from this, chartered accountant Sandeep Shridhar was also questioned by SIT based on the financial angle of the case.

Meanwhile, the central agency also summoned investigation officer of Bandra police station, Bhushan Belnekar and sub-inspector Vaibhav Jagtap for questioning. Belnekar was investigating the case under section 174 of Code of Criminal Procedure and had recorded statements of more than 50 people. On June 14, he along with his team had visited the Mount Blanc building where Sushant was found dead. Jagtap was also present and he later took the body to Cooper Hospital in an ambulance.

A Proper Summons?
According to sources, the CBI team will record their statements for more clarity on what happened on June 14. They would be asked some specific questions regarding the spot panchama. "If the agency feels that some facts have been suppressed by the officer, they can call for questioning, and sometimes it's a routine practice. If it is a proper summon in this case, it means the agency is suspicious about something," said PK Jain, former ADG, Maharashtra Police.


The CBI team, along with forensic experts, had visited SSR's house to recreate the incident that led to his death. File pic