Sushant death case: Bihar police says Rhea Chakraborty 'under watch'

Mumbai/New Delhi: The Bihar police on Saturday said actress Rhea Chakraborty was "under watch" in the abetment to suicide case in the death of Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput while her plea before the Supreme Court for transfer of the FIR against her from Patna to Mumbai is listed for hearing on August 5.

A four-member Bihar police team is in Mumbai since Wednesday to probe the FIR registered in Patna against Chakraborty, 28, and six others including her family members based on the complaint filed by Rajput's father. Krishna Kumar Singh (74) had lodged the complaint for the alleged abetment to suicide of his son on Tuesday.

Bihar's Director General of Police (DGP) Gupteshwar Pandey, meanwhile, said the state police wants the forensic science laboratory reports, inquest report, post-mortem report and relevant CCTV footage in the case to facilitate its probe. On Saturday, the Bihar police team visited the Bandra police station. When asked whether Chakraborty, who was Rajput's girlfriend, would be interrogated, an official of the Bihar police said, "It is not required as of now. But she is under our watch."

Another member of the visiting team said they have sent a notice to Chakraborty under the relevant CrPC sections, asking her to cooperate with the police in the probe. He also said the Mumbai police was cooperating with them in the investigation of the case.

Rajput, 34, was found hanging in his suburban Bandra apartment in Mumbai on June 14.

A Mumbai police official said the visiting team has recorded the statements of six persons as part of the probe.

"Till now, the police team from Bihar has met the late actor's friends, colleagues and relatives. They have recorded the statements of six persons-- Rajput's sister, who stays in Versova, former girlfriend Ankita Lokhande, a cook, his friends and colleagues," the official said.

As per the cause list uploaded on the Supreme Court's website, the transfer petition filed by Chakraborty will come up for hearing before a bench of Justice Hrishikesh Roy on Wednesday.

The state governments of Bihar and Maharashtra have already filed separate caveats in the top court seeking to be heard before any order is passed on Chakraborty's plea. The father of the late actor has also filed a caveat in the apex court. Caveat is a pre-emptive legal measure taken to ensure that a party does not get any favourable order without a notice or a hearing accorded to the other side.

In her plea filed in the apex court, Chakraborty has alleged that Rajput's father has used his "influence" in dragging her name into the case and accusing her of abetment of suicide of his son.