Siddharth Pithani (left) calls himself an actor and filmmaker.
The Narcotics Control Bureau arrested Siddharth Pithani on Friday in a drug case linked to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput last year. Mr Pithani, a friend of the Bollywood actor, was arrested in Hyderabad. He was among the four people present in the Mumbai flat when Sushant Singh Rajput was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his room on June 14, 2020. Mr Pithani had been previously questioned multiple times by the Mumbai Police and CBI in connection with the death of the Dil Bechara actor.
Who Is Siddharth Pithani?
Mr Pithani calls himself an actor and filmmaker. He reportedly stayed with Sushant Singh Rajput between April 2019 and June 2020, and also said to have served as his ‘creative manager'. An IT professional, Mr Pithani had told various news channels about the actor's last moments and he was grilled by various investigating agencies over his account. Mr Pithani had even accused Sushant Singh Rajput's girlfriend, actor Rhea Chakraborty of splurging his money. His claims had led to a media frenzy and speculation after the actor's death.
Mr Pithani also shared a series of WhatsApp messages sent by Sushant Singh Rajput's brother-in-law OP Singh to the actor. The messages indicated the actor's family was upset with the people around him. Mr Pithani claimed the family sent the messages to him because they could not reach Sushant directly.
In an emotional post after the actor's death, Mr Pithani had said, "A brother, a friend, a teacher and a mentor. I'm sure you are somewhere around the Andromeda galaxy right now. Have a safe journey back into the cosmos. Rest in peace Sushant Sir, Buddha miss you (sic)."
Mumbai Police have said previously that Mr Pithani was aware that Sushant Singh Rajput was prescribed medication for depression and he had stopped taking them in the days just before his death.
The police had taken Mr Pithani, Sushant Singh Rajput's cook Neeraj Singh and his domestic help Deepesh Sawant to the Mumbai flat to reconstruct the scene.
In August last year, the Enforcement Directorate too had questioned Mr Pithani and the late actor's business manager Shruti Modi in connection with a money laundering case allegedly linked to his death.
Many people, including Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik, have been charged in the drugs case that emerged as part of the probe into Sushant Singh Rajput's death. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) became a part of the probe after messages allegedly found on Rhea Chakraborty's phone pointed towards buying of drugs.