Sushant Rajput case: Family alleges murder, not abetment to suicide
In their statement to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), late actor Sushant Singh Rajput's family has now alleged he was murdered. Earlier, in July, his father, KK Singh had filed an abetment to suicide case in Patna against Sushant's alleged girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and her family members. The case was transferred from Bihar Police to the CBI last week. Here are more details.
According to reports, the CBI recorded the statement of KK Singh and other family members at the residence of his son-in-law OP Singh, who is an IPS officer in Faridabad. The family has said that considering recent developments in investigations and fresh media reports alleging that evidence was destroyed, they now want the case to be probed as a murder.
Furthermore, CBI officials will also meet the four-member team of Bihar Police that had gone to Mumbai to probe the case following KK Singh's complaint. They will also send Sushant's autopsy report to forensic experts at CFSL and AIIMS to seek another opinion.
Meanwhile, certain purported WhatsApp exchanges between KK Singh and Rhea as well as Sushant's former business manager Shruti Modi have been doing the rounds in the media. In the messages, sent in November last year, KK Singh had tried to reach out to both Rhea and Shruti, asking them to talk to him and let him know about Sushant's condition.
In his message to Rhea, KK Singh had allegedly written, "If you are aware I am Sushant's father, why did you not talk to me? What is the matter? I also have the right to know about him. Please call me and tell me everything." Notably, Rhea had also recently released WhatsApp messages where Sushant had allegedly blamed his sister and called her "manipulative."
These developments have come right ahead of the crucial Supreme Court hearing on Rhea's plea, where she has sought the transfer of case against her from Patna to Mumbai. She has opined that the CBI has no jurisdiction over the case. The hearing is scheduled to take place today. Separately, KK Singh has filed a counter-affidavit in SC against Rhea's plea.
On Monday, Rhea also filed a fresh affidavit in SC, requesting to stop the alleged trial by media in the case. "Petitioner has already been convicted by the media even before foul play in the death of Sushant Singh Rajput is established," her affidavit read. The 28-year-old actor also said that she was afraid of becoming the "scapegoat of political agendas."
Further, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also filed a money laundering case, after KK Singh alleged that Rs. 15 crore were suspiciously transferred from Sushant's accounts. On Monday, the probing agency questioned Rhea, her brother Showik, and father Indrajit at its Mumbai office. They were questioned last week as well. Shruti Modi and Sushant's friend Siddharth Pithani were also interrogated.
Sushant was found dead at his apartment in Mumbai on June 14. Citing initial evidence, the police had termed it a case of suicide. The actor had been suffering from clinical depression for the past few months, medical reports have suggested. Having started out as a television actor, Sushant starred in movies such as PK, M.S. Dhoni, Kedarnath, Sonchiriya, and Dil Bechara, among others.
