Amid raging demand for a high-level inquiry, the Mumbai Police chief has claimed that Sushant Singh Rajput searched for “painless death”, “schizophrenia”, and “bipolar disorder” shortly before his passing. Police Chief of India's financial capital Mumbai Param Bir Singh also stated that late Bollywood actor Rajput's father and relatives didn't raise any suspicion when their statements were recorded on 16 June.
"They (relatives) didn't raise any suspicion neither they complained about any lapse in our investigation", Police Chief Singh said while addressing a large gathering of media in Mumbai on Monday.
The statement from the Mumbai Police chief comes days after Sushant’s father filed a complaint under sections of abetment of suicide and cheating against Sushant’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty.
Delving into the charge of siphoning money from the actor's bank account, Mumbai Police denied that an amount was transferred to the bank account of Rhea Chakraborty - the girlfriend of Sushant Singh Rajput.
"During our probe, we found he had INR 180 mln ($2.3 mln) in his account of which around INR 45 mln ($599,500) are still there. Till now no direct transfer to Rhea Chakraborty's account has been found. Further investigation on that is still underway”, Param said while contradicting a complaint filed in the actor's home state Bihar. Sushant's father, K.K. Singh, claimed while filing a case before the Bihar Police that around $2 million was missing from the actor's account.
India’s economic intelligence wing, the Enforcement Directorate, has registered a money laundering case against Rhea and several others on the basis of the case file before the Bihar Police.
According to Mumbai’s police chief, they have recorded the statements of 56 people so far and all angles are being investigated, be it a professional rivalry, financial transactions, or health.
“Rhea Chakroborty was one of the 56 people questioned by Mumbai Police. Her statement was recorded twice and she was called to the police station several times. Right now, I can't comment about her whereabouts”, Police Chief Param said.
The Bihar Police, who are also investigating the case based on Sushant’s father’s complaint, are set to issue a "Look Out Circular" (LOC) against Rhea. LOCs are issued to trace those wanted in connection with a criminal investigation.
Meanwhile, Sushant’s cousin Neeraj Bablu, who is a lawmaker in Bihar state, raised the issue of his brother’s death in the state assembly on Monday and demanded a probe by the country's apex investigative agency, the CBI. Bablu has received support from several other lawmakers, including some in opposition parties.
Sushant Singh Rajput, a 34-year-old actor, who starred in such acclaimed films as "Dhoni - The Untold Story" and "Koi Po Che", is believed to have committed suicide in his apartment in Mumbai on 14 June.