Two Mumbai Police officers have been summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation to a guest house where they are questioning people connected with the probe into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. One of the police officers is in hospital, while the other is under coronavirus quarantine, sources said. The CBI has asked the two officers to bring some documents linked to the case.
A CBI team has been camping in Mumbai since Friday last after the Supreme Court ordered the probe agency to take over the case. The team is drawn from the agency’s crack investigative unit, the same one that is also looking into an alleged loan fraud case involving liquor baron Vijay Mallya.
The CBI has not yet summoned Rhea Chakraborty, Mr Rajput’s friend, for questioning. Mr Rajput’s family in Bihar has alleged Ms Chakraborty mentally harassed him and illegally transferred crores of rupees from his bank account in Mumbai, driving him to suicide.
So far the CBI has questioned a staff member of Mr Rajput and his friend Sidharth Pithani, both key witnesses in the case, among others.
Before investigating the abetment case, the CBI team has to rule out the possibility of murder. This involves crime spot and forensic examination.
Mumbai Police has said Mr Rajput died by suicide, but the allegations against Ms Chakraborty triggered a political storm after the police forces of Bihar and Maharashtra faced-off in a jurisdictional battle, which has been sorted now with the case having gone to the CBI.
The CBI will conduct a psychological autopsy of Mr Rajput subject to a report from AIIMS doctors, sources have said. To be carried out by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, this exercise will involve a detailed study of every aspect of Mr Rajput’s life – from posts on social media to WhatsApp chats and conversations with families, friends and others.