CBI to quiz his sister about conversation with his manager, where she is asking about his prescriptions
Faizan Khan (MID-DAY; August 31, 2020)

After Rhea Chakraborty, Sushant Singh Rajput's house help, Deepesh Sawant, complained to the cops of harassment by certain media houses, whose journalists allegedly follow him everywhere. On Saturday, fed up of being followed, he went straight to the Chembur police and sought their help. They have assured him protection.

"We have taken cognizance of his complaint and appropriate security will be provided to him," a police officer from Chembur police station said.

Rhea had complained to the Santacruz police about the same reason, and the CBI requested them to provide her security whenever she is called for questioning.

The SIT of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) grilled main accused Rhea on the third consecutive day on Sunday for almost 9 hours at the DRDO guest house in Kalina. Her brother was also quizzed for the fourth time.

On Sunday the SIT also quizzed Shruti Modi, manager of Sushant; Rhea's house manager Samuel Miranda, and the actor's cook, Neeraj Singh. Miranda has told CBI that the actor was having financial issues and was planning to sell his belongings. Police said ahead of Modi's questioning, a chat between her and Sushant's sister, Mitu, surfaced, where she had asked Modi for Sushant's prescription and it was shared with her on WhatsApp. So far his family has claimed that they were never informed about his medical condition.

In the prescription, the doctor has prescribed medicines for depression, bipolar and anxiety. The chats surfaced the same day that CBI called Modi for questioning along with Rhea, Miranda and Singh. The family has maintained that they were never informed by Rhea about Sushant's health, but the chat between Modi and Mitu indicates that the prescription was shared with them on November 26, 2019.

Sister To Be Questioned
Sources have told mid-day that CBI will soon record the statement of Mitu, not only about those chats but also to get more clarity as to what transpired between June 8 and June 13 before she left Sushant's residence. Rhea, in her statement, has claimed that after she left Sushant's house on June 8, Mitu was with Sushant. On June 9 when Sushant messaged Rhea asking about her health (she had issues with anxiety), she blocked him on WhatsApp.

The CBI has questioned Rhea about leaving Sushant despite knowing that he was ill. The actress told the CBI that she left him because he wanted her to leave, and before leaving she ensured that his sister was with him.

Arya Arrives For Probe
Goa-based hotelier Gaurav Arya reached Mumbai on Sunday after being summoned by CBI to appear before the SIT on Monday. After his arrival in Mumbai he told the press, “I met Rhea in 2017 and have never met Sushant Singh Rajput. I am here to cooperate with the investigation agency.”

सुशांत के परिवार का कहना है कि उन्हें इस बात कि कोई जानकारी नहीं थी कि सुशांत मनोवैज्ञानिक डाक्टरों से सलाह ले रहे हैं। फिर नवंबर 2019 के इस व्वाटसएंप चैट से परिवार का दावा गलत साबित होता है। क्या सुशांत मामले में हर कोई लुकाछिपी खेल रहा है। #SushantSinghRajput #RheaChakroborty pic.twitter.com/2gZeCoLkIa

— Ajay Kumar (@AjayKumarJourno) August 30, 2020

Vijay V Singh (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 30, 2020)

Mumbai: The CBI questioned actor Rhea Chakraborty for the second day on Saturday as part of its inquiry into the suicide of her boyfriend, Sushant Singh Rajput.

A policeman escorted Chakraborty from her home to the DRDO guest house that has been converted into the CBI temporary office.

Chakraborty had asked for the police escort to avoid mediapersons, who she said had been aggressive when she or her family stepped out of their homes.

On Friday, the CBI had questioned Chakraborty for around 10 hours. It is learnt that the CBI is gathering information about Chakraborty and her brother Showik’s personal equations and business transactions with Rajput.

They are trying to ascertain if anything in particular had upset the actor enough to lead to his death and whether there was any conspiracy.

The CBI had questioned Rajput’s friend Siddharth Pithani and three house staff members, Neeraj Singh, Deepesh Sawant and Keshav Bachner, for a week. The CBI also questioned Samuel Miranda, Rajput’s house manager reportedly appointed by Chakraborty.

Rajput’s family had filed an abetment to suicide case against Chakraborty.

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

Vijay V Singh (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 26, 2020)

Mumbai: CBI on Tuesday questioned late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s chartered accountant (CA) Sandeep Sridhar. The agency also summoned the Bandra police inspector and a sub-inspector, who had probed the actor’s alleged suicide, for questioning. However, one of the officers is recovering from Coronavirus and another is in quarantine. The CBI has collected most of the relevant material from the Bandra police for examination, including Rajput’s mobile phones, laptop, and his diary.

The agency continued questioning Rajput’s friend Siddharth Pithani, and his staff members Neeraj Singh, Deepesh Sawant and Keshav Bachner. The four were in the apartment when the alleged suicide took place. They had called a locksmith to break open Rajput’s room. On Tuesday, the CBI again visited Cooper Hospital and questioned the doctors who conducted the post-mortem. A CBI official also visited the office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is conducting a money laundering investigation in connection with the actor’s death. The ED had examined Rhea, her family members and Rajput’s staff members as part of the probe.

ED officials claimed to have found some information not relevant to the money laundering probe while examining some of their cellphones. The officials said they have passed it on to the agencies concerned to decide if the same should be pursued.

Rajput was found dead in his apartment at Bandra (West) on June 14 and his family members have accused Rhea, her family and close associates. They have also alleged Rs 15 crore was siphoned off from the actor’s account, which the ED is probing. 

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.

Vijay V Singh (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 24, 2020)

Mumbai: A CBI team visited Cooper Hospital on Saturday and questioned two of the five doctors who had conducted the post-mortem on actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Based on the statements of his domestic helps who were present in the flat, the CBI also recreated the last few hours leading up to his death on June 14.

The actor was found dead in his Bandra flat and city police have termed it a suicide. The CBI is investigating an FIR initially registered by the Patna police accusing Sushant’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and others of abetment to suicide.

Doctors at Cooper Hospital had collected the actor’s viscera and blood sample along with a sample of the ligature mark. The report by the state forensic lab at Kalina which examined the samples had termed it a suicide and ruled out poisoning. The CBI will send these samples to the central forensic laboratory in Chandigarh, sources said. “The urine sample of the deceased was not collected for examination which is crucial to establish the presence of any intoxicant in his body at the time of the death,” said the source.

The CBI team has already questioned Rajput’s friend Siddharth Pithani as well as his house helps Neeraj Singh and Deepesh Sawant. The three were the first to see the actor’s body. Forensic experts along with the CBI officials have examined the later actor’s flat. The CBI has also recorded the statement of Rajput’s house manager, Samuel Miranda, who was appointed by Rhea. CBI is also cross-examining the statements of witnesses. Sources stated most of the CBI investigation will be dependent on forensic examination and post-mortem reports to ascertain the cause of the death.

Meanwhile, the CBI has collected most of the evidence from the Bandra police for examination.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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