V Narayan & Rebecca Samervel | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; September 8, 2020)

Mumbai:  Actor Rhea Chakraborty on Sunday submitted a written application at Bandra police station seeking a probe into Sushant Singh Rajput’s sister Priyanka Singh and a doctor attached to a Delhi government hospital who prescribed the actor anxiety medicines.

Rhea is being investigated in the death of actor Sushant, her boyfriend.

In her application to the police, Rhea alleged that on June 8, six days before his death, she saw him exchanging messages with his sister. She claimed to have advised him against taking any such drug without a doctor’s recommendation. Sushant said he trusted his sister, who texted him the prescription of a doctor attached to a central government hospital in Delhi.

Rhea also stated that the prescription showed Sushant as an OPD patient in Delhi when he was in Mumbai. “This clearly shows that it is a forged one. Also, the doctor is a cardiologist who sought fit to prescribe psychotropic substances to a person he did not know and had never met,’’ her complaint said.

Under the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines of March 2020, these drugs are prohibited from being prescribed electronically, the application said. “These medicines have a high potential of abuse and could harm the patient or the society at large if used improperly,” it added.

Rhea, in her application, said that it should be probed whether Sushant then took these medicines, which may have contributed to his death or further deteriorated his mental health.

Rhea’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde said prescribing drugs listed under the NDPS Act was an offence. “It is also a misconduct under the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines which prohibit prescribing of any Narcotic or Psychotropic Substance listed in the NDPS Act,” he added.

Lawyer Vikas Singh, representing Sushant’s father K K Singh, did not respond to TOI’s calls or text messages on Monday.
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Rhea Chakraborty states doctor prescribed medicines via sister Priyanka Singh without seeing Sushant Singh Rajput
Faizan Khan (MID-DAY; September 8, 2020)

Actress Rhea Chakraborty was grilled for over eight hours by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for a second consecutive day on Monday. After this, the actress filed a complaint at Bandra police station against Sushant Singh Rajput's sister Priyanka Singh and one Dr Tarun Kumar from Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Delhi, for prescribing the actor medicines on June 8 without seeing him.

The prescription was allegedly for depression-and anxiety-related medicines, given without seeing Sushant. The actor had contacted his sister Priyanka on June 8 and told her that he is feeling low. Priyanka then arranged a prescription of some medicines from Dr. Kumar.

Satish Maneshinde, Rhea's lawyer, said, "Rhea has filed a complaint before the Mumbai police against Priyanka Singh, Dr Tarun Kumar of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and others for offences of forgery, under NDPS Act and the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines 2020 for sending a bogus medical prescription showing Sushant as an Out Patient Department visitor (at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital) when he was in Mumbai on June 8, for prescribing Schedule Drugs listed under NDPS Act as psychotropic substances."

Saw Sushant last on June 8
In her statement to Bandra police Rhea said, "On the morning of June 8, Sushant had been on phone incessantly and when I enquired what he was doing, he showed me the messages he was exchanging with his sister Priyanka Singh. I was shocked as Priyanka had sent him a list of medications to take."

"I explained to Sushant that given the seriousness of his condition, and the fact that he already had medications prescribed by doctors who had examined and treated him over several months, he ought not to take any other medication, least of all medication being prescribed by his sister who has no medical degree.

"Sushant and I disagreed on this aspect and he insisted that he would only take the medicine his sister was prescribing him. He then asked me to leave the house as his other sister Mitu Singh was coming to live with him and would take care of him. It was thus that I came to leave our residence at Mount Blanc, Bandra, and this was also the last time that I saw him alive."

The statement further reads, "The prescription prepared by them is a fabricated and false document as it reflects Sushant as an OPD patient when on that date and time, he was in Mumbai and not New Delhi."

9th Accused Tests Positive
According to sources, Rhea and Showik were grilled together. The agency is, so far, not satisfied with the actress's clarifications.

The NCB on Monday also arrested a ninth accused, Anuj Keshwani, named by Kaizan Ibrahim as a supplier of contraband. The NCB recovered 590 gm hashish, 0.64 gm LSD sheets, 304 gm marijuana, including imported joints and capsules, R1,85,200 in cash and 5,000 Indonesian Rupiah. Keshwani also tested positive before being taken to court. As a result, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (Esplanade court) ordered that all accused in the case henceforth be produced for remand via video conferencing. He was remanded to five days' custody during a remand hearing later in the day.

ED Is Probing Charge By Actor’s Dad
Vijay V Singh (THE TIMES OF INDIA; September 5, 2020)

Mumbai: A month-long investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has not revealed any money-laundering aspect linked to actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide, highly-placed sources said.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had on July 31 registered a case of money laundering after taking cognisance of a Bihar police FIR registered against his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and others for abetment to suicide. The investigation indicated there was no siphoning off of Rs 15 crore from Rajput’s account as alleged by his father K K Singh in his complaint to the Bihar police.

Sources stated ED officials didn’t find anything to establish money laundering although the agency is coordinating with the CBI and other agencies in case they unearth any suspicious transaction related to Rajput during their investigation. Mumbai police had earlier said there was no suspicious transaction from the late actor’s account.

The ED has conducted an in-depth probe, questioning at least 15 people, including Rajput’s family members, business associates, chartered accountant and his manager besides Rhea and her brother, and examining all the accounts associated with Rajput as well as the people who had transactions with those accounts and recorded statements of those concerned.

ED also examined the details of two companies, Vividrage Rhealityx Pvt Ltd, which was formed in September 2019, in which Rajput, Rhea and her brother Showik were directors. The second company - Front India for World Foundation - was formed in January 2020, in which Rajput and Showik were directors. Both the companies have registered offices at the same address at Ulwe in Navi Mumbai. There was no major or suspicious transaction found in these two companies, sources said. They also checked details of Innsaei Ventures Pvt Ltd in which Rajput was one of the directors along with Varun Mathur. Mathur’s statement has been recorded.

Officials also questioned those who had discussed business dealings with Rajput and retrieved chat messages during their investigation. They also examined if any payment was made to Rajput in cash or through any other channel at the behest of Rhea or other accused named in the Bihar FIR. During its probe, the ED came across a bank locker of Rhea which had jewellery worth several lakhs, but most of it was accounted for.

The ED even questioned celebrity talent manager Jaya Saha, who had generated Rs 10 crore business for Rajput before his death. ED examined her about the mode of payment, but they didn’t find any strong evidence suggesting diversion of funds.

The ED investigation in the case opened a Pandora’s box after the agency seized the phones of Rhea, Showik and others for examination. The ED called some of those whose names were found in chat messages that referred to financial transactions. The ED forwarded the details to NCB, which registered a case against Rhea and others for drug use.

Agency also quizzed Rajput’s friend Siddhartha Pithani and his former house manager Samuel Miranda. The duo was asked to reconstruct the sequence of events preceding the actor’s death
Abhishek.Sharan (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 31, 2020)

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday questioned actor Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik and another person in connection with actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.

It was the third consecutive day the agency had grilled Chakraborty and others. The CBI is investigating whether there was any foul play or conspiracy leading to the actor’s death.

Chakraborty arrived at the CBI’s camp office, at the DRDO guesthouse located in Santacruz (East), with Showik at around 11 am, and left after 7 pm. According to sources, the agency once again asked Chakraborty to narrate certain aspects of her relationship with Rajput.

She was asked about Rajput’s family’s allegations, including whether she and Rajput had differences over his decision to shift to Coorg in Karnataka to do organic farming, which led to her departure from his flat on June 8, and whether she left with his medical papers and subsequently blocked his phone number.

This was one of the allegations of Rajput’s father, K K Singh, as per the July 25 FIR registered by Patna police. Chakraborty was also asked if she had told the Rajput family about the fact that he was under treatment for mental-health related issues, sources said. Chakraborty and others denied any wrongdoing, the sources said.

Apart from Chakraborty and Showik, the agency also quizzed Rajput’s friend Siddharth Pithani and his former house manager Samuel Miranda. The duo was asked to reconstruct the sequence of events and circumstances preceding the death, the sources said. The CBI is looking into whether Rajput went to Chandigarh to meet his sister’s family in January, but fell sick on the way and thereafter returned to Mumbai after a few days. The agency is examining whether during the Chandigarh trip, the Rajput family had been apprised about his treatment/medicines, the sources said The agency is looking into claims that early in June, Rajput was keeping unwell and had curtailed his interaction with the flat’s residents. A sister of Rajput had arrived at his flat on June 8 after Chakraborty left. The sister left on June 12 as she had to look after her child, the sources said. Rajput’s body was found hanging on June 14 by four residents at his Bandra flat.

Rajput’s father alleged 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. Based on Rajput’s father’s complaint, the Patna police had registered an FIR under various charges, including abetment to suicide and cheating. The case was later handed over to the CBI, even as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) registered its case to look into the money-laundering aspects. The ED has summoned a Goa-based hotelier, Gaurav Arya, on Monday to seek clarifications related to a few communications under its purview. 

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; August 30, 2020)

For the last few days, producer Sandip Ssingh is drawing a lot of attention in the Sushant Singh Rajput case, with allegations of foul play being levelled against him by social media users and TV channels reporting that he was planning to leave the country. While Sushant Singh Rajput’s family members have reportedly stated that they don’t know him, he was seen handling all the formalities at the hospital post Sushant’s demise and even made arrangements for the actor’s funeral.

Literally caught off guard, Sandip was seen dodging the cameras on Friday. Actor Shekhar Suman, who had started the Justice For Sushant Forum, speaks to BT about his equation with Sandip Ssingh. Excerpts:

Tell us about your equation with Sandip Ssingh...
He was the producer of Sanjay Dutt’s Bhoomi (2017). We spent a month shooting in Agra together. I have known him for longer than that, though it was off and on. He had contacted my son Adhyayan for a movie, which didn’t work out, but that is how it began. There was a professional relationship. Going by my equation with him, I felt he was a fun-loving guy who was totally engrossed with a lot of projects of his own, and he knew people and people knew him in the film industry. That was it. These recent developments have come as a huge surprise. Let the investigation go on and let’s see what happens. But before this, there was nothing abnormal or unusual about him that I noticed.

Did he ever mention to you that he was a close friend of Sushant?
No, he never mentioned anything, except once in a casual conversation, he had spoken about how Ranveer Singh got Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela, Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat. He did mention that these films had gone to several actors and one of them was Sushant, who had turned them down. I asked him why Sushant would do that to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s films. He said, ‘I don’t know, maybe he didn’t like the role or something.’ Why I remember this is because one would give an arm and a leg to work with that filmmaker. This was a casual chat and I really don’t know how close he was with Sushant or anyone else. Lately, he was planning another film with Sanjay Dutt called Blockbuster. We have had a couple of close friends chatting about it. He was excited about this project, which was to be produced by Anand Pandit. He would talk about this movie. In fact, I don’t think I had much of an interaction with him when he was making the film, PM Narendra Modi, though I used to read about the film in the newspapers.

So, how did both of you touch base again after Sushant’s death? You even visited Sushant’s family in Patna at their residence along with Sandip...
I saw him on TV, managing everything around Sushant. I didn’t want to call him right then, because I felt it wasn’t the right time to do that. I started tweeting about Sushant on my own. I interpreted his demise differently from day one. I felt there is more to it than meets the eye. I felt a different sort of a connection — he was a Bihari boy, people could barely make it to his funeral because of the Coronavirus situation and I am someone who has lost a son years ago. I wanted to meet Sushant’s father and share his grief. I have lived with my tragedy for years now and I haven’t been able to get over it. My family asked me why I was getting so involved, and that I should not go to Patna in the thick of the pandemic. I said to them, ‘Let me speak to Sandip, maybe he knows the family.’ I called him. That is the first time I asked him what had happened really and he said, ‘I will tell you later.’ I asked if there was a way to meet Sushant’s father K K Singh. Sandip told me that he was planning to go to Patna after the terahvi, post June 28. I said, ‘Fair enough. Can you please let them know that I will be coming, too?’ And that’s how we went. It would have been awkward to go just like that. In Patna, I stayed with my cousins at my maternal granny’s house and he stayed elsewhere. I think it was on June 29 that we went to Sushant’s house. We didn’t exchange words with the family. We just sat there for 10 minutes. I wanted to meet (Bihar Chief Minister) Nitish Kumar for some political support for my Justice For Sushant Forum. I remember Sandip had asked me, ‘Why do you want to go ahead with this forum?’ I had said, ‘I want to, because I feel there is foul play and I should fight for it, instead of looking the other way.’ No one was talking about it at that time. It was my battle and I was okay with it being that way. I again asked him what had happened. He said, ‘I think it is suicide.’ I didn’t delve further into it. I met Tejashwi Yadav (Rashtriya Janata Dal leader), since Nitish Kumar could not make it, and told him about the forum. Prior to this meeting, Sandip, in fact, had asked me if I wanted to get Sushant’s father on to it and I said, ‘No. Later, if he wants to, he can be a part of it.’ After the press conference with Tejashwi in Patna, I didn’t speak to Sandip. And then he got into the thick of things as they are now. You see, I knew Sushant as a co-competitor from a reality show in 2010. But that was it. He had not even joined films. He was in the transition phase. I remembered him as a sweet boy. I don’t think I ever met him again after that, but I did watch some of his films.

Sushant’s family and friends have been saying that they don’t know Sandip Ssingh. How did he then make arrangements for the Patna visit?
There is a contradiction in this. From the footage that I saw on TV, he was seen with his arm around Sushant’s grieving sister. It seemed that he knew the family. He had even taken Ankita (Lokhande) to meet his family, so obviously he knew them. Also, I think for him, it’s not a big deal. And, when we went to Patna, everything was arranged and his family knew I was coming over.

On Friday, Sandip ran from the scene when he saw TV cameras following him. Reportedly, he has been dodging cameras by changing his locations, and not going to the house where he lives. Why do you think he is doing this?
I have no idea. Maybe because of the pressure and the intense media trial; anyone would be scared, especially if one feels he or she is getting cornered. But if you are honest, you should just come out and speak. That goes for everyone who knows Sushant or has anything to say. There is no need to hide and avoid speaking up. I feel Sandip should just come out and speak his side of the story like he did earlier. Running away will only lead to more speculation as to what it is that he is hiding. The investigating agencies will eventually make people speak and they will have to answer. They should come out and say it anyway. There is nothing to fear if you have been honest and have done no wrong.

Did Rhea Chakraborty try and stop Sushant Singh Rajput from moving to Coorg? Did she siphon off his money? Here are her assertions from Thursday’s TV appearances — and the counterpoints presented by Sushant’s family and close friends
BOMBAY TIMES (August 29, 2020)

WAS SUSHANT CLAUSTROPHOBIC ON THE FLIGHT TO EUROPE?
HER CLAIM: On the flight to Europe for their vacation, Sushant said he felt claustrophobic and popped a pill — Modafinil — which he was already carrying, said Rhea. He also apparently told her that he had visited a psychiatrist in 2013 (Dr Harish Shetty), who had first prescribed the drug.
WHAT THEY SAID: Sushant’s ex-girlfriend, Ankita Lokhande shared a video of Sushant in which he can be seen happily experimenting with his new Boeing 737 Fixed Base Flight Simulator. She wrote, “Is this #claustrophobia? You always wanted to fly andou did it and we all are proud of you (sic).” She also said, “From beginning till the end, me and Sushant were together about 23rd February 2016. He never had any conditions of depression and have visited any psychiatrist (sic).”

WAS RHEA LIVING OFF SUSHANT?
HER CLAIM: Rhea denied vehemently that she and her family lived off Sushant’s money, especially during their Europe trip. She claimed that she had a shoot in Paris with a clothing brand and they had arranged for her business class tickets and stay. But Sushant had those tickets cancelled and booked first-class tickets to turn the work trip also into a vacation. According to Rhea, Sushant lived life king-size and that’s the kind of person he was. She also said they lived together like a couple, but she didn’t live off him.
WHAT THEY SAID: Sushant’s family has repeatedly claimed that Rhea and her family were living off Sushant and she used to control all aspects of his life, including his finances.

WAS SHE OKAY WITH SUSHANT MOVING TO COORG & VISITING MUMBAI JUST FOR WORK?
HER CLAIM: According to Rhea, Sushant was keen to shift base to Coorg as he wanted to be away from the chaos of the city. She supported the decision and they were even exploring the option. Rhea said Sushant reached out to his family for help, but they didn’t respond.
WHAT THEY SAID: In the FIR filed with the Patna Police, Sushant’s father K K Singh claimed that his son wanted to settle in Coorg and do farming, but Rhea objected to it and threatened to disclose his medical reports to the media.

DID SHE ISOLATE SUSHANT OR WERE HIS RELATIONS WITH HIS FAMILY STRAINED?
HER CLAIM: Rhea said that Sushant had gone to Chandigarh to meet his sister’s family (on Jan 20), but returned in two days and that she had no clue he would come back so soon. She said it was because he didn’t want to spend time with them. If they felt she was isolating Sushant, they should have stopped him from returning to Mumbai, she countered.
WHAT THEY SAID: Sushant’s sister Shweta Singh Kirti has posted a picture of a ticket booked by her on January 26 to Chandigarh. She wrote on social media: “As Rhea mentioned in her interview, We didn’t love our brother!! Yeah right, that’s why I flew all the way from USA to India in Jan as soon as I got to know Bhai is visiting Chandigarh and is not keeping well. I had to stall my business and leave my kids behind! The worst part was I didn’t even get to meet my brother coz by the time I reached, Bhai had already left because of the constant pestering calls of Rhea and some work commitments. Family was always there standing rock solid for him!! Dare anyone ever doubt it for a moment!! (sic)”

Vijay V Singh (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 28, 2020)

Mumbai: The CBI on Thursday questioned actor Rhea Chakraborty’s brother Showik and took him to some locations as part of the probe into actor Sushant Singh’s alleged suicide.

Showik is the first member from Rhea’s family to be called for questioning by the CBI, which is investigating an abetment to suicide case against Rhea, Showik and their father Indrajit along with others. It is stated that CBI may call Rhea to record her statement in the case in a day or two.

The CBI has been questioning Rajput’s friend Siddharth Pithani and his staff member Neeraj Singh for the past six days. The two along with two other staff members of the late actor were in the flat when the alleged suicide took place. Siddharth and Neeraj were questioned again on Thursday along with Rajput’s accountant.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigating the money laundering case linked to the suicide had called Indrajit to produce certain documents kept in a bank locker. Indrajit feared threat and asked for police protection. A police constable accompanied him to the bank. He may appear before the ED on Friday along with the required documents.

In another development, a three-member team of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrived in the city from Delhi on Thursday to investigate the drugs related allegations. The team first visited the ED office and discussed the case and the evidence available. The ED had first alerted the NCB about the drugs related aspects in the case. During their investigation, the ED had collected the mobile phones of Rhea and others for examination. They recovered several deleted messages where Rhea and others discussed drugs after which the ED wrote to the NCB. The NCB registered an offence based on the information shared by the ED.
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Investigating agency asks Showik about the two companies in which he, Rajput and Chakraborty had invested, and a trip to Europe they took last year
Abhishek Sharan (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 28, 2020)

The CBI questioned actress Rhea Chakraborty’s brother, Showik Chakraborty, for several hours on Thursday over allegations that he was part of a conspiracy to control late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s life and finances, while the ED examined a private bank account of Chakraborty’s father, Indrajit.

Chakraborty, Showik and Indrajit have been named as accused in the cases registered by the ED and the CBI, which that are based on an FIR on abetment to suicide and criminal conspiracy filed by Rajput’s father, K K Singh, in Patna on July 25.

The line of Showik’s questioning mainly revolved around two companies in which he, Rajput and Chakraborty had stakes as well as a trip to Europe that the three took together last year, said sources.

Indrajit, a resident of Santacruz, was asked to be present along with a local police team as the ED team assessed the details of his account with the Santacruz East bank.

The ED launched a money-laundering investigation following allegations from Rajput’s family that 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 it is looking into texts exchanged between two persons that suggest that the actor’s funds and a debit card were misused. It is also mapping withdrawals from Rajput’s multiple bank accounts to help throw light on where his money went and for what purposes The CBI, which was handed the Patna police’s investigation following the Supreme Court’s directive on August 19, has interviewed a friend of Rajput, former staffers, people who directly or indirectly handled his finances, and employees of an Andheri hotel where Rajput had stayed for several weeks last year to get a clear picture of the circumstances before the actor’s death on June 14.

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

After it emerged that Salian's phone was active after her death, city police deny any foul play
Faizan Khan, Samiullah Khan (MID-DAY; August 25, 2020)

The mobile bill of Sushant Singh Rajput's former manager Disha Salian has revealed that her phone was used after the actor's death on June 15 and 17. A call was received on it and the Internet was used which subsequently raised questions of links to the actor's death. However, senior Mumbai police officers said that Malvani police had activated the phone during their investigation and maintained that there is no foul play involved.

The CBI team investigating Sushant's death visited Waterstones Hotel in Marol, where the actor stayed for two months last year to hunt for evidence and CCTV footage.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) also continued to grill key witnesses in the case for the fourth consecutive day. Siddharth Pithani, Neeraj Singh, Deepesh Sawant and another cook, Keshav Bachner, who was present on June 14, the day Sushant allegedly committed suicide, were questioned on Monday. Sources said Bachner had been out of the city and the SIT may visit the flat in Bandra again with the four witnesses.

The team at Waterstones Hotel spent several hours questioning people connected to the case. Rhea Chakraborty had taken Sushant to the resort and introduced him to self-proclaimed spiritual healer Mohan Joshi. Earlier, Joshi had issued a video statement saying, "I have been healing people spiritually for 38 years. In Sushant's case, I was contacted by Rhea for spiritual healing and I visited them once at the club where I prayed for him. The next day I was told that he was doing very well and had smiled after many days, so I was invited for lunch. This is how I met them twice and yes, I was told that he suffering from depression."

Spiritual Healer May Be Quizzed
Joshi is likely to be questioned by CBI soon. The priority for the agency is to collect evidence and understand what exactly happened inside the club as Sushant's family, in their complaint, alleged that he had disconnected from the world while at the resort and that they suspect black magic to be involved.

With regard to the activation of Salian's phone, a senior IPS officer told mid-day, "Her phone was activated by the police for investigation in the presence of Salian's fiancé, Rohan Roy and other senior officers of Malvani police. It was only done for the purpose of investigation and there is no conspiracy to it." The phone was activated by police to probe for links between Salian's and Sushant's deaths.

There were reports that Rhea Chakraborty and her family will be summoned by the CBI. However, Rhea's lawyer Satish Maneshinde issued a statement saying, "Rhea & Fly have not received any summons from CBI so far to attend. No sooner she receives it, she & fly will attend as they did before Mumbai Police and ED as law abiding citizens (sic)."
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Abhishek Sharan (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 25, 2020)

The CBI team investigating the death of Sushant Singh Rajput on Monday collected details from an Andheri hotel where the late actor allegedly stayed for a few weeks. The agency is also likely to examine Rajput’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty over the allegations made against her by the late actor’s family.

The agency is verifying allegations levelled by Rajput’s father, K K Singh, that his son stayed at the hotel at a time when Chakraborty and other accused were attempting to take control of his life and finances. Singh, on whose complaint the Bihar police had registered a first information report on July 25 against six people on charges related to abetment to suicide and criminal conspiracy, had alleged that his son had stayed at the hotel after leaving his rental flat on the ground that it was “haunted”, sources said.

Singh alleged that his son was brainwashed into believing that the “haunted” house was having a negative effect on him, and that he was asked to visit a counsellor. The agency is seeking to establish as to when exactly Rajput stayed there, if at all, and if he had taken counselling from a spiritual healer, the sources said. An agency team interviewed hotel staff as part of the probe.

The team also interviewed Rajput’s friend and former staffers at the DRDO guesthouse to reconstruct the incidents leading to the actor’s death at his residence in Bandra, the sources said.

The agency has been seeking details from staffers Neeraj Singh, Deepesh Sawant and Rajat Mewati 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, on June 13. Singh, Sawant and Pithani were among the four that were there at Rajput’s flat on the day of the incident.

The agency is also seeking to ascertain if Rajput’s medical papers are all intact, the sources said. The CBI is verifying if the actor had stopped taking his medicines in March, as per claims. It is also examining all aspects related to the actor’s autopsy at a government-run hospital on June 14, and has met the personnel associated with the exercise. The autopsy report allegedly did not cite the probable time of the death and the last meal based on the contents of the stomach, the sources said.

The three staffers were asked about the incidents of June 8, when Rajput’s girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty, a case accused, left the flat. According to Rajput’s father’s complaint to the Bihar police on July 25, Rajput wanted to move to Coorg to do organic farming, but Chakraborty was against the idea.

Chakraborty has denied all allegations and clarified that it was Rajput who had requested her to go to her parents’ for some time, as his sister was expected to come on June 8.

Rebecca Samervel (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 19, 2020)

Actor Rhea Chakraborty, in a fresh statement made through her advocate, has said she neither knows state minister Aaditya Thackeray nor has ever met him, reports Rebecca Samervel. “She has not spoken to him telephonically or otherwise, though she has heard of him as a leader of the Shiv Sena,” the statement said.

Bihar police have booked Rhea for allegedly abetting the suicide of her boyfriend, actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Unsubstantiated claims have been made about Thackeray’s link to the case.

Rhea’s statement further said that due to an incident that took place last April, when she had accused one of Sushant’s sisters of misbehaving with her, her ties with his family had been strained right from the beginning.
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Mumbai: In a fresh statement made through her advocate, Satish Maneshinde, actor Rhea Chakraborty has said, “Even after Sushant’s death when a list of 20 people was made to attend the funeral, Rhea’s name was not in it.” The statement said Rhea is the daughter of an Indian Army surgeon and a Maharashtrian housewife.

It said Sushant Singh Rajput and Rhea began dating soon after they attended a party hosted by the film fraternity in April last year. Maneshinde said the couple officially moved in together in December 2019 and lived at Mount Blanc, Bandra, until Rhea left on June 8. Sushant was found dead in same flat on June 14.

Rhea said Sushant had argued with his sister over her alleged misbehaviour and it was he who insisted that Rhea leave their home in suburban Bandra on June 8 as one his other sisters was supposed to come there to live with him.

“Sushant had been calling his family, informing them of his decision to move out of Mumbai and requesting them to come and meet him. After several days of Sushant’s calling and crying, his sister agreed to come to live with him on June 8,” the statement said.

Sushant requested Rhea to move in with her parents temporarily, but she was uncomfortable leaving him, the statement said. “Rhea had been suffering from her own anxiety issues and often endured panic attacks. Sushant’s conduct also aggravated these conditions,” it said, adding that on June 8, Rhea had arranged to have a therapy session and requested Sushant if she could leave after it was done. “However, Sushant told her to leave immediately before his sister arrived. Thus, Rhea reluctantly left and informed Sushant to let her or her brother know about anything he required or in case he needed to talk,” the statement said, questioning as to why Sushant’s family had waited for over 40 days to get the FIR registered in Bihar.

Maneshinde said that the comments made before the Supreme Court on August 11 made it evident that it had to do with politics more than with the truth. The statement said that Rhea only knows and had met actor Dino Morea socially as he is her senior in the film industry.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate on Monday recorded the statement of Sushant’s father K K Singh as part of its probe into the money-laundering case.
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Bank account audit shows no fraud: Cops

—V Narayan

Mumbai: A forensic audit of Sushant Singh’s financial details gathered from his bank did not show any instances of fraud or embezzlement, a police officer said. The Mumbai police on Monday received the audit report prepared by Grant Thornton, a tax advisory firm. Police commissioner Param Bir Singh said, “The investigation team is going through the report.” The police had sought the services of the firm to carry out a forensic audit.

The police probing the case had accessed Sushant’s bank transactions for the last 18 months and found Rs 18 crore in the account statement of which Rs 4.5 crore was the balance as deposits. Sushant’s father had alleged that money was siphoned off from the late actor’s accounts.

The report also speaks about money spent by Sushant and his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty for their Europe vacation trips, household expenses and staff payments that Sushant made from 2019 to 2020 so far.

Dhananjay Mahapatra (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 19, 2020)

The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict on Wednesday whether CBI should investigate the mysterious death by suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput two months ago.

Justice Hrishikesh Roy will give the verdict on a petition filed by Rajput’s friend and actor Rhea Chakraborty, who had sought transfer of the FIR lodged by Rajput’s father in Patna to Mumbai, where the actor was found dead.

The Bihar government had referred the Patna FIR to the CBI, leading the Centre to ask the probe agency to take up the case. However, Maharashtra government had opposed the Centre’s decision to hand the case over to CBI and said that the Patna FIR should be transferred to Mumbai police in whose jurisdiction the incident happened. Mumbai police are yet to register an FIR and have continued their inquiry under an accidental death report.

Before concluding the hearing on August 14, Justice Roy recorded that Chakraborty was not opposed to a CBI probe. “You may be correct in saying that you have been a victim of media focus on the case but your stand is that if CBI probe is ordered into the incident, you have no objection,” he had said.

That day saw counsel for Bihar government and Rajput’s father K K Singh on one side, trading charges with their counterparts representing Maharashtra and Chakraborty on the other. Entering the fray, solicitor general Tushar Mehta told the apex court that it was a fit case for CBI probe as Mumbai police had not filed an FIR and declared that it was a case of suicide.

“We do not know what is the role of Chakraborty in the case — witness, accused, complainant or nobody? Yet, she moves an application in the SC, seeking transfer of the FIR to Mumbai. What is her interest in seeking transfer when she should be interested only in a fair probe, irrespective of the agency which investigates the case,” Mehta had said.

There can be two possible outcomes of the verdict. One, the court may allow CBI probe, in which case Mumbai police will have to abort its investigation. In this scenario, the CBI will take the FIR lodged by Rajput’s father in Patna too into account while taking over the case material collected so far by Mumbai police. The SC, if it orders a CBI probe, will decide which court — the one in Patna or Mumbai — will have jurisdiction over the FIR and consequent investigation.

Conversely, CBI might find it difficult to engage with the investigation in case the apex court allows Chakraborty’s plea for transfer of the Patna FIR to Mumbai police because the suicide took place in Mumbai and most witnesses and people related to Rajput are linked to Bollywood and are located in the metropolis.

Scrutiny yet to be completed, but ED has not found any direct, large transfer to Rhea Chakraborty’s accounts
Abhishek Sharan (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 14, 2020)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has confirmed that around Rs 15 crore was withdrawn from one of the bank accounts of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, but it has so far not found any transaction from that account to his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty.

The identities of the recipients of the tranches amounting to Rs 15 crore are being ascertained.

Rajput’s family has alleged that Rs 15 crore was siphoned off in tranches from a bank account of the actor that had around Rs 17 crore to accounts he had no connection with in a year. The agency registered a money laundering case on July 31 against Chakraborty and her relatives on the basis of an FIR on abetment to suicide and criminal conspiracy filed in Patna by Rajput’s father, Krishna Kishore Singh, six days earlier.

A scrutiny of all transactions through netbanking and debit cards from Rajput’s several bank accounts is yet to be completed. A source from the agency said mapping these withdrawals will help throw light on where his money went and for what purposes. “We are looking into who was using the debit cards and the netbanking facility to ascertain if someone else who had access to the PINs or the passwords could have performed those transactions.”

The investigation has found that up to Rs 2.78 crore went towards payment of taxes, including goods and services tax. The ED is also verifying a claim by an acquaintance of Rajput that the actor was generous and often willing to pay for the needs of those close to him.

Another source said since Rajput and Chakraborty were dating, some small financial transactions between them through other accounts are to be expected. “But as per the findings so far, no money was sent to her from the account from which Rs 15 crore was withdrawn.”

The agency is probing the circumstances under which Rajput, Chakraborty and her brother Showik came together for business activities. Rajput had set up two companies—Front India for World Foundation and Vividrage Rhealityx Pvt Ltd—of which Chakraborty and Showik are directors.

On Thursday, the agency questioned Jayanti Saha, a celebrity talent manager who had handled Rajput’s account in the past, about transactions between her agency and the actor since 2019. It will soon be recording the statements of Rajput’s bodyguard, a cook and a domestic help.

Chakraborty’s lawyer, Satish Maneshinde, rebutted all allegations against her. “She has been examined in probes by two investigating agencies so far, including the Mumbai police, and nothing against her has come out, nor has anyone said anything against her. In any financial transaction, there is an electronic trail that can be examined.” He pointed out that the Maharashtra government, in its recent affidavit to the Supreme Court on the actress’ plea seeking transfer of the Patna FIR to Mumbai, said that Rajput’s relatives did not raise suspicions against anyone when the Mumbai police recorded their statements soon after the actor’s suicide on June 14. Rajput’s father, in his counter affidavit, said he approached the Patna police after he felt that the Mumbai police were “derailing the inquiry”.

On Thursday, the Maharashtra government told the court that registration of the Patna FIR was politically motivated. “Newspaper reports… state that the Bihar police were hesitating to register the FIR, but the chief minister of Bihar and another minister persuaded them to register it,” it said. The allegation came hours after the Bihar government told the court that neither did the Maharashtra police register an FIR on Rajput’s suicide, nor did they extend support to the Patna police “on account of political pressure”.

Mitu Singh is the first Rajput family member to join the agency’s investigation, sources say
Abhishek Sharan (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 12, 2020)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday recorded the statement of Mitu Singh, the sister of Sushant Singh Rajput, to gather details on the state of the late actor’s finances, deposits in bank accounts, investments, expenditures and whether there was any siphoning of funds or abuse of his credit cards.

Rajput’s father, Krishna Kishore Singh, in his counter-affidavit to the Supreme Court to oppose the transfer to Mumbai police of Patna police’s July 25 first information report to look into charges, including of abetment to suicide, stated that it took him 40-odd days to approach the Patna police as he had been under “depression” after his son’s death and later felt that the Mumbai police was allegedly “derailing the inquiry”.

Singh’s affidavit stated that he had lost his son, aged 34, on June 14 and had gone into “depression” and “on regaining his senses after the mourning period of 40 days was over”, he realised that the police was allegedly “derailing the inquiry and not investigating the criminal offences committed”. He, thereafter, filed a complaint, after which the FIR was registered at the police station nearest to his residence. Singh alleged that the Mumbai police examined Rajput’s girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty, “four days after the death of the actor and thereafter, in the name of inquiry, examined many witnesses, who do not lie within the ambit and scope of investigation of a criminal offence”.

Singh’s affidavit was filed after the SC asked him, Bihar and Maharashtra to submit their versions after Chakraborty moved the court to get the Patna FIR transferred to Mumbai. Maharashtra told the apex court that Mumbai police has the investigative and legal jurisdiction to probe the case as per laws and is conducting a “fair, impartial, professional” probe into the accidental death report lodged after the suicide. Maharashtra also said that Singh had not requested Mumbai police to register an FIR against Chakraborty and others on any ground. The state said that when Mumbai police recorded the statements of the close relatives of Rajput, including Singh, “none of them had any suspicion about the suicide or against anybody whatsoever in that regard”.

Mitu Singh is the first Rajput family member to have joined the agency’s investigation, sources said. The Central Bureau of Investigation, which has taken over the Patna police FIR, had on Monday recorded the statements of Rajput’s father and another of his sister.

The ED has sought information on multiple occasions from the four persons – Chakraborty, her brother Showik, father Indrajit and manager Shruti Modi – named as accused in the FIR. The ED is investigating the four for their alleged attempt to control Rajput’s life and finances to their own advantage, as per Rajput’s father’s complaint.

Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; August 11, 2020)

Vinay Tiwari, the IPS officer from Bihar at the centre of the probe into Sushant Singh Rajput’s alleged suicide, rubbished rumours of him joining the CBI team investigating the actor’s death. The SP (Central), Patna, travelled to Mumbai to supervise Bihar Police’s probe into Sushant’s death, only to be quarantined by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on reaching the city.

The move peeved Tiwari, who told reporters it wasn’t him, but the investigation that had been “quarantined”.

FAKE NEWS DOING THE ROUNDS
On Sunday, speculation started doing the rounds on social media that Tiwari, an IPS officer of the 2015 batch, will be joining the CBI team probing Sushant’s death. When we contacted him, he rubbished the rumour, saying, “This is fake news. It’s completely false and bogus.” Tiwari also panned reports that he had sought a central deputation. When we asked CBI spokesperson R K Gaur, he confirmed that the news of Tiwari joining CBI was “not true”. Tiwari took to social media and tweeted, “Kuch khabarein kal se prasarit ho rahi hain, woh purnatah galat, bhramik aur afwah hain. Kripya un par dhyan na de.”

Ever since he was quarantined in Mumbai, Tiwari has not only been dealing with rumours, but also fake accounts in his name on social media. He says, “This is the first time I’ve come across my fake accounts. I’ve reported these accounts to Twitter and have requested them to verify my account.”

‘NOT ME, THE INVESTIGATION WAS QUARANTINED’
An alumnus of IIT (BHU), Tiwari was handed the case a day after Sushant’s father K K Singh filed a complaint in Patna, and an FIR was registered.

But his being quarantined in Mumbai led to a lot of questions on the intent behind the move. The Mumbai Police, however, had reportedly said that he was not quarantined to obstruct the investigation. Tiwari asks, “What else could be the reason? Ek police officer ko adhikar hai ki woh investigation kare. Aur yeh bahut pavitra adhikar hai. Lekin mujhe investigation karne hi nahi diya gaya. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, that it wasn’t me who was quarantined, but the investigation was quarantined. It is not about me as an individual, it is about the investigation. I had discussed an action plan with my seniors, and to execute that plan I had to move out physically. I had to interrogate people and write down their statements, then prepare my draft and submit it. But I could not do any of it because I was quarantined.”

He adds, “How could they quarantine me? Did I test positive? Was I showing any symptoms of COVID-19? Mera Coronavirus ka test kar lete agar unko laga ki main positive hoon. Main iski ninda karta hoon.”

Swati Deshpande (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 9, 2020)

Mumbai: In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s father has said the Mumbai police probe into his son’s “death under mysterious circumstances” is “an eyewash in the name of inquiry”. He said Mumbai police have shown no urgency in finding the culprits, as actor Rhea Chakraborty, who was in a live-in relationship with Rajput till June 8, was examined four days after his death on June 14.

The affidavit, in reply to Rhea’s case transfer petition, said though Mumbai police examined “many” witnesses, no FIR was filed.

Rajput, 34, who starred in hits such as Kai Po Che and M S Dhoni - The Untold Story, allegedly committed suicide in his Bandra flat on June 14. On July 25, his father, K K Singh, lodged an FIR in Patna against Rhea and others, accusing them of abetting his suicide, cheating and criminal breach of trust.

In his affidavit, Singh has said Rhea’s petition for transferring the case from Patna to Mumbai has become “infructuous” as his FIR against her in Bihar has been entrusted to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

“The issue of jurisdiction can be determined once the police officer examines all facts and evidences... in the present case there are several facts that require examination,’’ said Singh, adding, in fact, most relevant witnesses are all over the country. For instance, the staff who worked with Rajput live in different cities, so it is futile to assume Maharashtra will have all witnesses to conduct the trial, he said..

Maharashtra government has “attacked the motive’’ of Singh, saying the FIR was “nothing but a political attempt to thwart their powers and undermine the federal structure of the Constitution”. Singh said Maharashtra government calling it a political issue “highlights’’ its attempt to “scuttle the entire case”.

With the case given to CBI, Rhea should have no grievance as her original complaint that Patna police would investigate the FIR in an “unfair manner’’ would no longer subsist, he said.
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After Rhea, ED questions her brother

Vijay V Singh (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 9, 2020)

Mumbai: Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned actor Rhea Chakraborty’s brother Showik on Saturday as part of its probe into a money laundering case linked to actor Sushant Singh’s alleged suicide.

Rhea is named as an accused in the abetment to suicide case registered by Patna police. Showik was a director in two companies along with Sushant. Both companies are under the ED scanner. The ED is investigating alleged siphoning of Rs 15 crore from Rajput’s account before his death.

The two companies under the scanner include Vividrage Rhealityx, formed in September 2019, in which Rajput, Rhea and Showik were directors. Rajput and Showik were directors in the second company, Front India For World Foundation, formed in January 2020, five months before his death.

The two companies are registered at the same address - A-503, Sai Fortune, Ulwe in Navi Mumbai.

Vividrage was engaged in computer, online and related business and the other company was into social activities.

In her statement to ED officials on Friday, Rhea said she had not used Rajput’s money for any of her investments or personal expenses.

Yesterday, Rhea Chakraborty appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in the money laundering case filed in relation to Sushant Singh Rajput’s death on June 14. Rhea was grilled by the ED for over eight hours. Her brother Showik and her ex-manager Shruti Modi were also questioned by the ED. Here are the other developments in the case
BOMBAY TIMES (August 8, 2020)

- The Centre on Friday moved the Supreme Court seeking to make itself a party to Rhea’s plea for transferring an FIR lodged against her in Patna to Mumbai, in connection with Sushant’s death.

- Rhea’s CDR (call data records) have been accessed. Some of that has come out in public domain, which showed that no calls were exchanged between Sushant and her between June 8 and June 14.

- Reportedly, six pages are missing from Sushant’s personal diary, which was found next to his body. Former Additional Solicitor General (ASG) and senior advocate Vikas Singh, who is representing the family of the late actor said, “According to me, that diary is very important because if he was writing every day about what was in his mind then if he has committed, then something must have been there as to why he has taken this step or if it was a murder, there would have been something regarding who in his life was the threat.”

- Singh also added that the electronic evidence would play a crucial role in the probe as now the reliance would be on the photographs taken from the scene of the crime and during the post mortem and apart from this the CDRs would also be helpful in forming the chain of evidence in the absence of physical evidence.

- Questions are being raised on Mumbai Police’s investigation on various grounds.

- According to the CDR, reportedly four calls and one SMS have been exchanged between Rhea and DCP Bandra Abhishek Trimukhe. Both were in contact from June 20 to July 18.
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Actor’s father and manager also questioned for more than eight hours over Rajput’s father’s allegations related to financial irregularities and control of his life for their own advantage
Abhishek Sharan (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 8, 2020)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday grilled Sushant Singh Rajput’s girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik and two others for more than eight hours in connection with its probe into the money-laundering aspects of the Bollywood actor’s suicide on June 14 at his Bandra flat. The agency grilled the four people, who are all accused in the case, over allegations that as part of a criminal conspiracy led by Rhea, they had attempted to control Rajput’s life and finances, including bank accounts and credit cards, to their own financial advantage, agency sources said.

An ED source said Chakraborty strongly denied charges of any wrongdoing. According to the source, according to Chakraborty she/her family has an asset in the city, whose value could be around Rs 85 lakh, while bank loans worth Rs 60 lakh had been taken for the same.

Chakraborty, clad in a printed indigo kurta, white palazzo and with a white dupatta, arrived at ED’s south Mumbai office located at Ballard Estate, around noon with her brother Showik. She declined to make any comment to the media.

ED’s probe is based on a first information report (FIR) registered by Patna police’s Rajiv Nagar police station, on a complaint by Rajput’s father, Krishna Kishore Singh, wherein six people, including Chakraborty, a budding actor, are accused of criminal conspiracy, abetment to suicide, criminal breach of trust, theft and cheating. Apart from Chakraborty and Showik, her father, Indrajitm and her manager, Shruti Modi, also arrived at the ED office, and were asked for information and clarifications related to the case by the agency, according to sources. The accused have denied any wrongdoing. ED has called Showik and his father, Indrajit, on Monday again for further clarifications, sources said.

According to sources, ED asked Chakraborty to submit her income tax returns filings from April 2015 to March 2020, which she would submit through her legal team. The agency also asked her for details on her assets in Mumbai. According to sources, ED has received some property–related papers they had sought from the family. Chakraborty was also asked to furnish details on firms associated with her, which were owned by her or had her as a director/co-director, sources said. ED is verifying the circumstances under which Rajput, Chakraborty and Showik came together for business activities wherein two firms, Vividrage Rhealityx Pvt Ltd and Front India For World Foundation, are under the scanner. In both the firms, Sushant was a director. While Rhea was a director in one of the two firms, Showik was a director in both the firms. The two firms are based at a common address, located at A 503, sector 8, Ulwe, Navi Mumbai, where an ED team had already paid a visit for preliminary enquiry. ED is also verifying allegations that the accused had taken control of Rajput’s credit card/s, bank account/s and a laptop, the sources said.

Rajput’s father had alleged that up to Rs 15 crore had been siphoned off from his son’s accounts.

‘‘It was alleged by the deceased actor’s family that there were funds worth around Rs 17 crore in one of his bank accounts, 1011972***, from which around Rs 15 crore went to such accounts with which Rajput had no connection whatsoever,’’ a source said. ‘’It is being verified as to how much money came into Rajput’s accounts and credit cards and how much went out, to whom and for what purposes. The probe is in a preliminary stage,‘’ he said. Chakraborty and Showik left the ED office at around 9 pm, Indrajit and Modi left an hour earlier.

ED had earlier interrogated her alleged aide, house manager Samuel Miranda and Rajput’s chartered accountant, Sandeep Sridhar.

The agency had on Monday recorded the statement of Sridhar, on details related to the actor's financial activities, including his income/expenditure/investments and business forays via firms, over the past one year. Sridhar worked for the late actor over the past one year.

ED is looking into allegations that the accused had replaced Rajput’s employees with their own set of trusted/familiar employees, his credit cards and bank accounts were controlled by them. 

While various theories abound, the central agency has filed charges against 6 people
Monika Rawal Kukreja (HINDUSTAN TIMES; August 7, 2020)

The unprecedented tug of war between Mumbai and Bihar Police over actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case seems to have finally reached its fate. On Thursday evening, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered FIRs against actor Rhea Chakraborty and five others. The CBI took over the case after much deliberation, appeals from fans, petitions on social media and mounting social pressure. There are many key questions expected to be answered. We bring you a compilation of 10 unsolved puzzles in the case, floating about in media platforms, and in the minds of millions of the fans of the late actor.

1. Why was no action taken when Rajput’s family had alerted in February that his life could be in danger?
On August 3, Rajput’s father, K K Singh, released a video stating that he had informed Bandra Police (Mumbai) on February 25 that he was worried for his son’s life. To substantiate the claim, the family released transcripts of chats between Rajput’s brother-in-law, O P Singh and Mumbai Police, where it was mentioned that Sushant’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty’s family had taken the late actor to a resort near the airport, kept him there for three months and had been managing his business affairs since. To this claim, Mumbai Police responded in a statement that, “...no such written complaint has been addressed to Bandra Police Station on that date... O P Singh wanted this to be resolved informally to which the then DCP Zone 9 clearly told him that it was not possible.” It is left for CBI to now decide if cognizance could be taken of the claim.

2. How did Rhea Chakraborty manage to hire the most expensive lawyer?
Soon after Rajput’s father filed an FIR in Patna against Rhea Chakraborty, she hired celebrity lawyer, Satish Manshinde, to represent her. However, questions are being raised about the actor’s hiring of one of the most famous and expensive criminal lawyers in Mumbai, who had earlier represented Sanjay Dutt in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blast case and Salman Khan in the hit-and-run case. Moreover, the developments of financial irregularities in Rajput’s bank statement where ₹15 crore were transferred from his account have also posed serious doubts. Chakraborty has already been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate in case of money laundering.

3. Why is no one talking about the missing CCTV footage, the duplicate keys, and the 50 SIM cards?
It has been reported widely on various media platforms that the CCTV footage of Rajput’s building from the night before he died isn’t available — whether that is indeed the case or not has not been clarified. Also, the duplicate keys of his room were allegedly missing, and hence a locksmith had to be called in the morning during the lockdown to break the door open. And then it was reported that the keys were found soon after.

Also, there are reports that Rajput changed over 50 SIM cards in his phone in the last one month. It remains to be seen if the details of all those have been taken out, and the call history traced. Several in the know of legal and criminal investigative procedures have pointed out to the ligature mark on his neck not matching with the cloth used for hanging, and several bruises on his body. All these would make for key potential evidence before the CBI investigators.

4. Are Rajput’s flatmate Siddharth Pithani’s statements inconsistent with the actor’s staff?
There have been alleged inconsistencies in the statements given by Pithani and what Rajput’s staff members have said. During an interview with news channel Republic TV, while Pithani said he didn’t know anything about the actor’s mental health, he also admitted to giving him two tablets of some medicine every day. However, Rajput’s bodyguard, on the condition of anonymity, told the channel that he would fetch the “prescription drugs” from the store, and Chakraborty would give them to Rajput. The late actor’s cook, Neeraj Singh, too, confirmed to the channel that it was Chakraborty who had been administering medicines to Rajput that led to him being asleep for the most part of the day.

5. What came of the probe in Rajput’s former manager, Disha Salian’s case, who died six days prior to him under mysterious circumstances?
Many have been wondering if there’s a link between Rajput and Salian’s death, as both were told off as deaths by suicide, fairly early on. On August 1, when the Bihar Police team reached the Malwani Police Station in Mumbai seeking details about Salian’s death, they were reportedly informed that the folder having details of Salian’s case has been “deleted by accident” and can’t be retrieved. However, on August 2, Mumbai Police officials denied it, and said that they have everything on record and all documents are available with them. “...family (Disha’s) has given no complaint against anyone,” said the officials. Will the mystery behind Salian’s death be finally solved to further prove if it had any connection with Rajput’s case?

6. Did Rhea resist Bihar Police’s involvement, and was Maharashtra government against a CBI enquiry?
After Rajput’s family filed an FIR in Patna against Chakraborty for abetment of suicide among other charges, Bihar Police got involved in the investigation and in turn, she moved the Supreme Court to seek transfer of the FIR lodged in Patna, Bihar, on grounds of jurisdiction. Also, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said Mumbai Police is capable of doing the investigation and are going in the right direction and no CBI enquiry is needed. Does this reluctance, and the eventual intervention of the Supreme Court, make the investigation in the case more complicated?

7. Why is the IPS officer from Bihar kept in quarantine?
The news of senior IPS officer Vinay Tiwari being sent to 14-day quarantine by the BMC soon after his arrival in Mumbai on August 2 for the Rajput death probe, was received with scepticism by some. Questions were raised that when the Mumbai Police was informed well in advance about his arrival, why was he put into quarantine? According to IANS, the Bihar Director-General of Police (DGP) had alleged that Tiwari was put under house arrest in Mumbai on the pretext of quarantine. On August 5, the SC also stated that the incident “has not sent a good message”. On the same day, a tweet by Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey, claimed that despite a letter from the Patna Inspector-General, the BMC has refused to exempt their IPS officer from being quarantined.

8. Is there political involvement in the case, beyond mere suspicion?
Over 50 days in the Rajput death case, more than 50 people have been questioned — from former girlfriend, best friends, to family and relatives and members of the film fraternity. However, several questions have been raised about the presence of Maharashtra cabinet minister Aaditya Thackeray at a party attended by Salian just prior to her death. The charge has since been denied by Thackeray. The reported allegation also stated that the party took place at actor Sooraj Pancholi’s residence, a charge which has since been denied by him in an interview to India Today.

9. Why was it declared an open-and-shut suicide case within minutes of Rajput’s body being found?
On June 14, when Rajput was found dead in his rented apartment in Bandra, everything seemed to have happened in so much of a hurry that nobody — including the police, witnesses, hospital authorities — even suspected it could be homicide. Several questions were raised thereafter — why didn’t everyone wait for forensic reports, why wasn’t Rajput’s room sealed immediately after the police arrived, how could pictures of his body and other details from the room be on social media soon after?

10. Why are details of Rajput’s medical history and treatment reports available in the public domain?
When Chakraborty in her statement to Mumbai Police stated that Rajput was suffering from mental health problems and was on medication, which he had stopped taking for the last couple of weeks, it was speculated that he took his life owing to depression. And soon after his medical reports were shared on social media platforms, then the fact that antidepressants were found in his room was widely shared on news channels. Recently, Mumbai-based therapist, Susan Walker, spoke to journalist Barkha Dutt and claimed that Rajput was her client and was “bipolar and suffered from clinical depression”. This posed a big question on the breach of patient confidentiality, and could become one of the points for a possible investigation into the state of the late actor’s mental health.

BOMBAY TIMES (August 6, 2020)

A team of four officers of Patna Police arrived in Mumbai on July 27 after they registered an FIR against Sushant Singh Rajput’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and six others, based on a complaint filed by his father, K K Singh, on July 25. Meanwhile, the actress moved the Supreme Court, seeking a transfer of investigation from Patna to Mumbai. Her lawyer, Satish Maneshinde, also sought interim protection from the questioning of Bihar Police, which had accused her of “absconding” and “not coming forward”.

Yesterday, the apex court refused to grant her interim protection, which means that the Bihar Police can now interrogate Rhea in connection with Sushant’s death case. Justice Hrishikesh Roy went on to note, “Serious allegations have been levelled against the petitioner. She has applied for transfer of proceedings from Patna to Mumbai...” The top court, in its order, asked Maharashtra, Bihar and Sushant's father to place on record their replies to the transfer petition. It also noted that the Mumbai Police must submit its records of investigations done so far.

During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Supreme Court that the Centre has in principle accepted the recommendation of the Bihar government to order a CBI inquiry into the case. As per reports, the Centre on Wednesday evening issued a notification asking the CBI to investigate the death of the actor. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Rhea Chakraborty on August 7 for questioning in the money laundering probe linked to the complaint by Sushant’s father

Dhananjay Mahapatra (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 6, 2020)

New Delhi: A Supreme Court bench has granted three days to Sushant Singh Rajput’s father, Bihar government, Maharashtra government and Mumbai Police to place on record their stand on Rhea Chakraborty’s petition seeking transfer of the FIR lodged by Rajput’s father against her in Patna to Mumbai. It will hear the case again next week.

Before the Bihar government and Rajput’s father K K Singh sparred with the Maharashtra government over who should probe the actor’s death, solicitor general Tushar Mehta informed the apex court that the Centre had accepted Bihar government’s proposal for a CBI probe and that a notification would be issued shortly.

Mehta said the in-principle decision to accept the recommendation was taken in view of demands for a CBI probe by Rajput’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, his father and the Bihar government. Chakraborty, who had tweeted to home minister Amit Shah demanding a CBI probe later moved SC seeking transfer of the FIR to Mumbai. Meanwhile, Rhea Chakraborty’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde said she was in Mumbai, asking people to refrain from speculating about her whereabouts.

Counsel for Rajput’s father, senior advocate Vikas Singh, said, “There is clear evidence of Rajput being beaten up mercilessly and strangled to death prior to stage-managing of the suicide. There must be a CBI probe as the Bihar police is being obstructed by Mumbai police from investigating the case.”

For Maharashtra government, senior advocate R Basant asked, “Is there any cause of action for registration of FIR in Patna? Look at the consequences. It affects federalism. Rajput’s father has not said or given anything in writing to Mumbai police till date. Now, the case is being driven by politics. If at all Bihar police registered an FIR, it should have been transferred to Mumbai. Bihar cannot recommend CBI probe into a case over which it has no jurisdiction.”

Appearing for the Bihar government, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi and the state’s standing counsel Keshav Mohan said, “It is strange Maharashtra is talking of federalism. They quarantined a senior Bihar police officer when he reached Mumbai for investigation. As the CBI has taken over the probe, this petition (by Chakraborty) has become infructuous.”

Justice Hrishikesh Roy said Maharashtra police has to satisfy the court it has done a professional job, but disapproved of the quarantining of a Bihar IPS officer. “The case has hogged so much media time. Quarantining a Bihar police officer does not send a good signal. When so many eyes are focussed on the case, are you sending the correct signal? Whatever the nature of the case Mumbai police has registered, you give details and ensure that it is done in a professional way,” he said. 

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’.