MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday questioned actor Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, her chartered accountant Ritesh Shah and her former manager Shruti Modi for over eight hours in connection with the money laundering probe involving the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Rhea was the first to arrive at the ED office in Mumbai along with her brother. They were followed by her former manager and chartered accountant later. An ED official wishing to remain anonymous said that Rhea remained evasive on most of the questions and claimed to be innocent.
According to top ED officials, the probe agency asked over 20 questions related to the financial transactions from the bank account of the late actor, Sushant Singh Rajput who was found dead on June 14 in his Bandra flat.
The ED officials said that she was asked about the details of movable and immovable properties, businesses, and companies in which she and her family members are stakeholders. The official requesting anonymity said that the ED also asked Rhea to furnish the details of her address, profession, family members, mode of income, details of bank accounts, and credit cards.
She was also asked to give details about how she knew Sushant Singh Rajput, and for how long. The ED also asked Rhea to share the details of the financial transactions with Sushant, or if she had any contract with the late actor for her finances and the Income Tax Return (ITR) details.
In a reply about the ITR, Rhea told the financial probe agency that currently she does not have the record of ITR and that she would submit the ITR of last five years through her legal team soon.
The ED also questioned Rhea about her investment in properties including movable and immovable assets and asked about how these properties were bought in Mumbai and from where the money was arranged to buy them. The ED officials meanwhile submitted the property papers brought to the agency office by her brother.
The ED also sought details if there was any will of inheritance left behind by Sushant, and whether she was also in touch with the family members of the late actor. The official said that the ED also sought the details of income of her family members and if any of the members are dependent on her. Rhea will be asked to submit the details of her bank statements and amount of money received from other bank accounts and if any transactions were made from Sushant’s Kotak Mahindra bank account as alleged by his father K.K. Singh in his complaint to the Patna Police on July 25.
Sushant’s father in his complaint to Bihar Police has alleged that Rs 15 crore was withdrawn or transferred from the Kotak Mahindra Bank account of his son which had Rs 17 crore.
The ED has registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against Rhea and her family members on the basis of the complaint of Singh submitted at the Rajiv Nagar police station in Patna.
The ED is also seeking the details of the financial transactions of the two companies in which she and her brother were directors along with Sushant.
According to ED, Rhea is a director in the firm Vividrage Rhealityx while her brother Showik is a director in Front India For World. The ED has sought details about the nature of business of the two companies and their financial health and transactions. Meanwhile, her brother was questioned about his profession and his income details and how he managed his expenses.
The ED also gave a set of questions to Rhea’s CA about the financial condition of the actor and how she was managing her expenses and what were the investments made by her and family members. The ED also sought details of the properties mentioned by the actor and her family members in the ITRs and if any of the family members invested in foreign countries.
On Thursday evening, the CBI also took over the probe against Rhea and her family members and others on the recommendation from the central government after the Bihar government requested for the central agency probe.
Sushant and Rhea were in a relationship before the actor’s death. Sushant’s father has levelled various allegations against Rhea which include taking money from his son and also threatening to disclose his medical reports to the media. Sushant’s family has also accused her of keeping him away from his family.
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