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. 

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. 

CBI registers case against six people, including actor Rhea Chakraborty, her relatives and associates
Abhishek Sharan (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 7, 2020)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday grilled Samuel Miranda as part of its probe into the alleged money-laundering aspect of the Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death by suicide at his Bandra residence in June.

ED questioned Miranda over allegations that he was part of a conspiracy led by Rajput’s girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty, to wrongfully confine the deceased, replace his employees with their own set of employees and control his finances. Rhea and her alleged aide Miranda are among the six accused named in the First Information Report (FIR) registered by Patna’s Rajiv Nagar police station on July 25 on the complaint of Rajput’s father. The complaint formed the basis of Central Bureau of Investigation’s FIR on Thursday, and of ED’s money-laundering case registered last Friday.

According to the Patna FIR, Miranda was an alleged close aide of Chakraborty. “We are verifying allegations that the case accused had replaced Sushant’s set of employees with their own set of trusted/familiar employees, his phone/s were kept by the accused and that his financial details – like credit cards and bank accounts – were being controlled by Rhea and her accused relatives,” according to an agency source.

The agency is verifying if Rajput’s phone was allegedly shut off in December last year as part of the conspiracy to cut him off from his family, and a new phone was provided to him utilising Miranda’s identity details, the sources said.

Miranda was grilled by ED earlier as well and his statement has been recorded under provisions of the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act).

Rajput, 34, was found hanging in his Bandra apartment on June 14.

The agency had on Monday recorded the statement of Chakraborty’s chartered accountant, Sandeep 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 has summoned Chakraborty for questioning on August 7 over the allegations levelled against her in the case. Two of her/ family assets are under the ED’s scanner. Two firms linked to Rajput and some of his financial activities allegedly involving Rhea and her brother Showik are under the ED scanner. ED will determine if there were alleged siphoning of funds from Rajput’s bank accounts and assets.

An ED team had on Monday visited a Navi Mumbai address, located at Sector 8, Ulwe, which serves as the common address of two firms, Vividrage Rhealityx Pvt Ltd and Front India For World Foundation, that are under ED's scanner. In both the firms, Rajput was a director. A case suspect was in the two firms as a director, while another was in one of the firms as a director.

The CBI on Thursday registered a case, taking over Patna police’s July 25 FIR for probe in the Rajput death case, naming as accused Chakraborty, her brother Showik, Miranda, three others and unknown persons. The case was registered under Indian Penal Code’s sections related to offences including alleged criminal conspiracy, abetment of suicide, wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement, theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal intimidation.

The case was registered by a Delhi-based CBI team led by Superintendent of Police Ravi Gambhir who is attached with the agency’s cell Anti-Corruption-6 and the Special Investigation Team that has probed high-profile cases including the AgustaWestland chopper irregularities scam.
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Meanwhile, Bihar police are likely to move SC as BMC refuses to release their Patna City SP from quarantine
Vishal Singh (MID-DAY; August 7, 2020)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is investigating the alleged suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput has summoned actress Rhea Chakraborty for questioning on Friday in relation to two flats she had purchased recently. ED says there is ambiguity over who paid for the properties.

In another development, the Bihar police are likely to approach the Supreme Court (SC) against the quarantining of senior IPS officer Vinay Tiwari by the BMC and are taking legal advice from Bihar's Advocate General for the same.

This comes after Patna Police IG Sanjay Kumar Singh wrote a letter to the BMC demanding that Tiwari be exempted from home quarantine.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is investigating the alleged suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput has summoned actress Rhea Chakraborty for questioning on Friday in relation to two flats she has purchased recently.

According to sources in the ED, Rhea has two properties in Mumbai, one of which is in her name and the other in a relative's. ED wants to question Rhea on how she arranged the resources to buy the flats as there is ambiguity over who paid for the properties.

According to sources, Sushant had four bank accounts. Money from the account in the Kotak Mahindra Bank was allegedly transferred to Rhea's account.

"We have issued a summons to Rhea to investigate the transfer of money from Sushant's bank account. The summons has been sent via email," an ED officer said.

According to an ED officer, Sushant also had a farmhouse and a flat in Goregaon. The ED's FIR came after the actor's family registered a case with Patna police. Sushant's father K K Singh has alleged that Sushant had Rs 18 crore in his bank account, of which Rs 15 crore were siphoned off by Rhea.

ED recently questioned Rhea's Chartered Accountants Ritesh Shah and Sandeep Sridhar.

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’.

MUMBAI MIRROR (August 5, 2020)

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday grilled late Sushant Singh Rajput’s former chartered accountant (CA) Sandeep Sridhar in connection with its probe into the alleged money-laundering aspect of the Bollywood actor’s suicide at his Bandra residence. The agency recorded the CA’s statement on details related to the actor’s financial activities, including his income/expenditure/investments and business forays via firms, over the past one year in order as part of its Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) investigation.

“Sridhar’s account will be the key to understanding the state of the late actor’s finances and if there were any alleged irregularities there. His questioning will continue,” said an agency source. Rajput, 34, was found hanging in his Bandra apartment on June 14. Sridhar worked for the late actor over the past one year, agency sources said. Sridhar, whose statement was earlier recorded by the Mumbai police, had earlier told media that there was allegedly no major transfer, except a few thousand, to his girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty’s account.

The agency said on Friday it began a PMLA probe in the case on the basis of a Bihar police First Investigation Report (FIR) registered on a complaint by Sushant’s father, Krishna Kumar Singh (74) against Rhea, her family members and six others on allegations related to abetment of the suicide of his son and financial irregularities. Singh had wanted a probe to ascertain whether Rs 15 crore deposited in a bank account held by Sushant was allegedly transferred. Singh has accused Rhea of having befriended his son in May 2019 with the intention of furthering her own career.

A few firms linked to Sushant and some of his financial activities allegedly involving Rhea and her brother Showik are under the ED scanner. ED is likely to call them both in for questioning in connection with the probe to verify the allegations levelled in the case.ED will determine if there were any irregularities linked with Sushant’s bank accounts and assets.

An ED team today also visited a Navi Mumbai address, located at Sector 8, Ulwe, which serves as the common address of two firms, Vividrage Rhealityx Pvt Ltd and Front India For World Foundation that are under ED’s scanner. In both the firms, Sushant was a director. A case suspect was in the two firms as a director, while another was in one of the firms as a director. “The visit was to verify the address,” a source said.

The Mumbai police are also probing the alleged suicide to determine whether there was any abetment angle and has questioned several top Bollywood producers and directors. Rhea had released a video statement after the ED case was filed, saying the truth shall prevail.

THE TIMES OF INDIA (August 4, 2020)

Mumbai/Patna: A day after Mumbai civic authorities quarantined Patna SP Vinay Tiwari, its staff launched a search for four Bihar cops, who are also in the city for the probe into the Sushant Singh Rajput case. A source said the cops stayed put at their current location on Monday to avoid surveillance.

Restricting the movements of the IPS officer, who is in town to probe the abetment to suicide case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, has evoked strong reactions from Bihar government though BMC said it went by the rule book.

Based on a complaint by Sushant’s father, the team was deputed to Mumbai; Tiwari’s brief was to lead the team. On his arrival at an SRPF guest house in Goregaon – where arrangements were made for his stay – the officer was informed that it would not be possible for him to step out for 14 days.

Regarding the other cops, a BMC official said, they had said on arrival that they were on an assignment and would return as early as possible, but not that they were in town to probe the Sushant case. “There was a breach of protocol. We are looking for them. As per rules, they must be quarantined,’’ he said.

However, Bihar SSP Upendra Kumar Sharma said BMC’s action raises questions.“Why hasn’t BMC home-quarantined the Patna SIT team since July 27?’’ Tiwari said he was allowed to exit Mumbai airport after landing on Sunday at 4 pm following a temperature scan. Speaking of his confinement at the guest house, he said, “I told the BMC officials that an IPS officer on official duty cannot be quarantined in this manner. However, they cited an order of their senior authorities. I immediately brought the matter to the notice of my seniors in Patna.” Tiwari eventually allowed the BMC team to stamp him with the ‘home quarantined’ tag around 11.45pm.

Both the Bihar chief minister and DGP Gupteshwar Pandey, questioned the BMC’s action. “Whatever happened (with the SP) is not right… DGP Pandey has full information about the incident and he will speak to his counterpart in Maharashtra,” said Nitish Kumar. He described it as a case of “forced quarantining”, but said he would not take it up with his Maharashtra counterpart as it was not a “political issue”. “It is the legal responsibility of Patna police to investigate the case,” he said. Nitish avoided commenting on whether there would be a CBI inquiry into the Bollywood actor’s suicide case.

The DGP has now directed the Bihar police to lodge a protest. “The BMC commissioner would be asked to give exemption in order to free the IPS officer from home quarantine as he is on duty,” Pandey said. He said Maharashtra rules on quarantine allow the administration to exempt those involved in essential work. Refusing comment on Patna police’s jurisdiction in the case, he said, “The matter is pending in Supreme Court.”

BMC issued a statement to clear the air. It said Tiwari was “guided for home quarantine” as per guidelines for domestic flyers and has been asked “to apply to the competent authority of MCGM for exemption”.

City police chief Param Bir Singh denied he had a role and said it was a BMC decision.

BJP leader in BMC Vinod Mishra alleged that the state government was using BMC to derail the probe.
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ED records statement of CA, will call Rhea next

Vijay V Singh (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 5, 2020)

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recorded the statement of a chartered accountant Sandeep Sridhar on transactions related to late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Shridhar was Rajput’s CA; ED will continue his questioning. A source said the ED asked Shridhar to submit more documents related to Rajput’s bank account. The source said the ED will call Rhea and her brother for questioning next.

An ED team visited a flat in Navi Mumbai which was mentioned as a registered office address of two companies that Rajput owned with Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik.

Sources said there was around Rs 15 crore in Rajput’s account till last year and they are looking at transactions linked to it. Earlier Shridhar told Mumbai police that there were no suspicious transactions from Rajput’s accounts. A source said, “The ED is enquiring about the source of money and its diversions. It is examining account details of all who received money from Rajput’s accounts or companies associated with him.”

The companies ED is investigating are Vividrage Rhealityx and Front India For World Foundation.

Flatmate says he is under pressure to say Rs 15 crore siphoned off Sushant’s accounts
Vallabh Ozarkar (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 1, 2020)

Mumbai police’s investigations have revealed transactions worth only a few lakhs of rupees between the accounts of Sushant Singh Rajput and his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, which is nowhere near the Rs 15 crore reported “missing” from Sushant’s accounts in Bihar police’s FIR. A senior police officer, who is privy to the investigation in Sushant’s death by suicide, said there are no suspicious transactions from any of his accounts. “All the expenses are related to the rent he paid for his apartment, money spent on travel, hotel stays and renting a farmhouse in Lonavala,” he said.

And while on Friday the Enforcement Directorate filed a money laundering case based on the Bihar police’s FIR, the star’s chartered accountant Sandeep Sridhar endorsed the Mumbai police’s findings and said there were no big withdrawals or transfers from his client’s accounts. Sridhar said he has shared this information with the police. Sridhar said that to the best of his knowledge, no big sum is missing from any of the star’s accounts. “I have been handling his account from the last financial year. Whatever amount was there in the account is still there,” Shridhar said.

Sushant’s father Krishna Kishore Singh in his complaint against Rhea, members of her family and two others on charges of abetment to suicide, had alleged that of his son’s Rs 17 crore savings, Rs 15 crore were transferred to unknown accounts.

Meanwhile, creative designer and Sushant’s flatmate Siddharth Pithani has told the police that he is under pressure from the star’s family and lawyers to say that a sum of Rs 15 crore was siphoned off the star’s accounts.

Talking to Mumbai Mirror on Friday, Pithani said, while Sushant paid for all household expenses, he never heard of any big amount going missing from the actor’s account. “He never let Rhea pick up any bills. He was an old-fashioned boyfriend in that sense. And that is all I know,” he said.

Pithani said he got calls from Rajput’s relatives, a senior IPS officer, his sister Mitu Singh and a senior Supreme Court advocate seeking information regarding Rhea and her expenses when she lived-in with Sushant”. These calls, he said, were received on July 22. “I got scared and sent an email to the police informing about the same,” he said.

Contrary to the statements of Sushant’s family that Rhea controlled his medications, Pithani said he himself on several occasions gave the star his medicines. “I moved in with Sushant for the second time in January because he wanted to work with me on certain projects. After I moved in, I learnt that between October and December, Sushant was diagnosed with dengue and was subsequently put on medication for depression,” he said, adding that Sushant stopped taking the medicines in March after consulting his doctor.

Pithani said while he never saw Sushant and Rhea fight, the latter was visibly upset when she left the house on June 8. “Sushant’s sister Meetu moved in with us for three days after Rhea left and took care of Sushant. He would cry a lot. And then his former manager Disha Salian committed suicide. Sushant was very upset that he was linked with Disha’s suicide,” Pithani said.

Advocate Vikas Singh, who is representing Sushant’s father, said Pithani’s statements must be taken with a pinch of salt. “Till the other day, he was in touch with Sushant’s family and talking against Rhea. Now suddenly he is singing a different tune,” he said.

Repeating the charge that Rs 15 crore were moved out of Sushant’s accounts, Singh said: “This needs to be investigated. Where would Sushant spend such a large amount?” he asked.