This is the second time Rhea Chakraborty will be questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (File)
Highlights
- Siddharth Pithani, a friend of Sushant Rajput, has also been summoned
- This will be second time that the agency will question Ms Chakraborty
- It will be the third time that her brother will appear
Actor Rhea Chakraborty appeared before the Enforcement Directorate today for a second round of questioning in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput case. On Friday, Ms Chakraborty was questioned for more than nine hours.
In addition to Ms Chakraborty, her brother, Showik Chakraborty, and father, Inderjit Chakraborty, the Enforcement Directorate has also summoned Siddharth Pithani (a friend of Sushant Singh Rajput), who had ignored a summons to appear on Saturday.
On Friday, Rhea Chakraborty, her brother, and former manager Shruti Modi were questioned in separate rooms at the agency's office in Mumbai, sources said.
The Enforcement Directorate has filed a money laundering case against Rhea Chakraborty and five others over "suspicious transactions" worth Rs 15 crore.
The case was filed after the agency acted on a FIR filed by Mr Rajput's father with Bihar police, accusing Ms Chakraborty of illegally transferring that amount from his son's bank account.
Sources in the agency said money from Mr Rajput's bank accounts had been transferred to Ms Chakraborty but it was nowhere near the alleged one. Agency sources, however, told news agency PTI that they "want more answers" over alleged mismatch in income, expenditure, and investments.
Actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14
Sources close to the actor said the transactions were not unusual, particularly for a couple in a relationship that lived together and went on holidays together.
Mr Rajput had also started two companies along with Ms Chakraborty and her family - companies whose "money trail" Bihar police insisted they would follow, when questions were raised over their jurisdiction.
Ms Chakraborty has repeatedly maintained her innocence in this matter; on Saturday she released two photographs - of a water bottle and a note that she said had been written by Mr Rajput - that she said was the "only property" of the late actor that she had.
This morning the Enforcement Directorate said it had also questioned Ms Chakraborty's brother - for 18 hours in an overnight session starting around noon the previous day.
The agency will also question Siddharth Pithani, an IT official who was reportedly out of town during the first summons. According to PTI, Mr Pithani had told some news channels he was present when Sushant Singh Rajput, 34, died by suicide at his Bandra flat on June 14.
At this point there are two central agencies probing this case - the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI. The CBI case, to be investigated by an elite team dealing with cases like the Vijay Mallya matter, is waiting on the top court's decision on Ms Chakraborty's petition.
With input from PTI