Sushant Singh Rajput death: After request refused, Rhea Chakraborty deposes before ED in Mumbai

NEW DELHI: Rhea Chakraborty has appeared at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in Mumbai, after a request to defer her questioning, citing the Supreme Court hearing in the Sushant Singh Rajput suicide case, was refused by the central agency.

The model-actress, clad in a blue salwar-kameez with a dupatta covering her head, was escorted by a man as she appeared at the probe agency's office amidst heavy rain. She is being questioned by a team comprising ED officials today.

Times Now quoted her lawyer Anil Maneshinde as saying that "Rhea Chakraborty is a law-abiding citizen and will cooperate with the agency as requested."


Earlier on Thursday, the actress's lawyers were quoted as saying by news agency ANI that she had "requested for a postponement of recording her statement till the Supreme Court hearing."

The Supreme Court is expected to hear next week Rhea's plea seeking transfer of the Bihar Police probe to Mumbai Police.

On Wednesday evening, the ED agency had sent summons to Chakraborty and members of her family including her father and brother. The ED has also earlier interrogated Samuel Miranda, an associate of Rhea over the latter's properties, sources close to the development were quoted as saying said.

Last week, the ED had registered a case under the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act for “suspicious transactions” basing on Rajput’s bank records, and following an FIR lodged by the actor’s father in Patna. K K Singh had accused Chakraborty, who was as in a relationship with the actor then, of embezzling his son’s money.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Centre transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after a bitter turf battle between the Mumbai Police and its Bihar counterparts.

Meanwhile, Patna Superintendent of Police Vinay Tiwari who had been asked by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to quarantine on reaching Mumbai from Bihar to investigate the case, has been released on the condition that he leaves the state by Saturday.

According to news agency ANI, Tiwari said, "Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has informed me, through a text message, that I can go out of quarantine. I will be leaving for Patna now."

Other members of the police team that had come to Mumbai to investigate the case, gave the BMC officials the slip, and returned to Patna on Thursday.