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Sushant Singh case: ED seizes mobile phones, electronic gadgets of Rhea, kin, finds response ‘unsatisfactory’

The probe agency has taken the mobile phones to see if SMSes shared between Rhea and Sushant, or Rhea and her family members, or with associates of Sushant have been deleted from the devices.

Sushant Singh case: ED seizes mobile phones, electronic gadgets of Rhea, kin, finds response ‘unsatisfactory’

Bollywood actor Rhea Chakraborty with her brother Showik. (Photo: IANS)

In a fresh development in the Sushant Singh Rajput case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing the money laundering angle, has seized the mobile phones and other electronic gadgets belonging to the late actor’s rumoured girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, and her father Indrajit.

According to a report in Times Now, ED has seized 4 mobile handsets, 2 of Rhea, 1 each of Showik and their father. 2 iPads and 1 laptop have also been seized. All the gadgets are being sent for forensic examination.

Meanwhile, the ED has said that Chakraborty’s response is “not satisfactory”.

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According to sources quoted by IANS, the probe agency has taken the mobile phones to see if SMSes shared between Rhea and Sushant, or Rhea and her family members, or with associates of Sushant have been deleted from the devices.

The ED will also probe if she talked about financial transactions with the late actor or her family members.

The sources also disclosed that during her questioning by the ED, she had shared her experience about a trip to Italy in October 2019 when she allegedly saw Sushant depressed in a hotel room.

The ED sources revealed that Rhea, Showik, and Indrajit have not shared the details of their properties with the agency. The sources said that the ED had asked bank officials to share such details of property documents of Rhea and her family.

Meanwhile, Rajput’s former business manager, Shruti Modi, and actor’s friend, Siddharth Pithani were also questioned by the ED on Monday. This was the third time that both Pithani and Modi are appearing before the central agency.

Sources quoted by IANS have said that Sushant’s former Business Manager and Rhea’s current Manager Shruti Modi had told the ED that she used to take all personal and professional decisions on behalf of the late actor.

On August 10, actress Rhea Chakraborty, her father Inderjit Chakraborty and brother Showik Chakraborty had appeared before the ED.

This was the second time that Rhea and her father had appeared before the ED after she was questioned for around nine hours on Friday, while her brother was questioned for the third time.

The questioning is linked to a money laundering case that was registered by the ED on July 31 on the basis of a Bihar Police FIR in which Rajput’s father has accused Rhea Chakraborty and her family of abetting the Bollywood actor’s suicide.

The ED’s money laundering case pertains to transactions involving Rs 15 crore and allegedly related to the ‘suicide’ of Sushant Singh Rajput.

The ED has also sought details of the financial transactions of the firm — Vividrage Rhealityx, in which Rhea is a director; and Front India For World, in which her brother Showik Chakraborty is a director.

Sushant Singh Rajput’s father has accused her of cheating and threatening his son. Sushant’s family has also accused her of keeping him away from his family.

The ED is recording the statements of Rhea and family under the Prevention of the Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

Meanwhile, earlier on August 6, a day after the Centre asked the agency to probe the death of Sushant, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case against six persons, including Rhea Chakraborty and her family members, on the basis of the FIR filed by Bihar Police on his family’s complaint.

They have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including abetment of suicide, criminal conspiracy, wrongful restraint/confinement, theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating and other offences.

The CBI has handed the case over to its Special Investigation Team (SIT) branch, which earlier investigated the high profile cases like Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal, and liquor baron Vijay Mallya bank fraud case.

Sushant Singh Rajput, 34, was found hanging from the ceiling of his apartment in suburban Bandra in Mumbai on June 14.

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