Published 14:16 IST, August 11th 2020
ED encounters deleted WhatsApp chats in data dump of Rhea's Sushant case questioning
In a big revelation on Tuesday in Sushant's case, sources report that the ED has come across certain deleted WhatsApp conversations by Rhea Chakraborty
In a big revelation on Tuesday in the Sushant Singh Rajput's case, sources report that the Enforcement Directorate has come across certain deleted WhatsApp conversations of Rhea Chakraborty. The details of the deleted conversations have been accessed from the data dump obtained by the agency in its probe thus far. Rhea Chakraborty has been interrogated on two full days since her first summons on Friday.
Questioning of Shruti Modi, the former business of Sushant Singh Rajput revealed that Rhea had been taking his business and financial decisions and also his professional decisions since entering his life. Shruti also said that she (Shruti) had not been in touch with Sushant much since February. Rhea Chakraborty's own questioning has thrown up wide discrepancies between her income and her assets.
Information of the deleted chats also comes right after sources revealed that the IP address of Rhea's company Vividrage Rhealityx Pvt. Ltd. in Navi Mumbai was changed 17 times over the past year with the most recent one on Friday, August 7 - day 1 of ED's questioning. Furthermore, the website is now no longer available online, and is said to have hosted at least one email address belonging to Sushant.
As the Enforcement Directorate probes deeper into the financial aspects of the possible causes of Bollywood actor Sushant's alleged suicide, Rhea, her brother Showik, and father Indrojit was grilled for more than 9 hours on Monday. The ED has also taken a data backup of two phones of Rhea Chakraborty and one phone of her father Indrojit Chakraborty.
Earlier sources reported that both Rhea and Showik were asked to provide information on their bank accounts and details of the companies that were allegedly formed using Sushant Singh Rajput's money. ED asked Rhea about her income and the investments made in the last few years and her alleged absconding of one company months after it was formed.
The ED has registered a case against Rhea Chakraborty under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after Sushant's father KK Singh alleged in his FIR at Patna last month that she had cheated the late actor of a huge sum of money. Apart from the ED probe, Sushant's mysterious death case was also being investigated by the Bihar Police and Mumbai Police. However, the case has now been taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Sushant's father's WhatsApp chats
In the latest development in the fight for justice for late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, Republic Media Network has accessed WhatsApp chats of the late actor's father from November 2019 to both Rhea Chakraborty and Sushant's manager Shruti Modi. Sushant's father has alleged that Rhea had blocked him from her contacts and had also been reluctant to let Sushant contact him. Singh had sent a message to Rhea asking her to call back, on November 29 at 12:34 PM.
SC hearing underway
The SC is hearing Rhea's petition seeking transfer of case from Bihar to Mumbai. SC had pulled the Maharashtra government for its ill-treating Bihar officers who came to investigate the matter. It had directed Mumbai Police to submit its findings within three days. The Mumbai Police submitted the findings in a sealed cover and has reportedly accused Sushant's father of being 'tainted with afterthoughts'. Congress leader and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi will represent the Uddhav Thackeray-led government at the apex court.
Rhea's affidavit
Moreover, Rhea has filed an additional affidavit in the Supreme Court on Monday. She said that the issue is 'blown out of proportion' and extreme trauma and infringement of privacy of the rights is caused due to 'constant sensationalization of this case.' However, she said that she has no objection if this Court refers the matter to CBI but added 'even if the CBI investigates the matter the jurisdiction will still be with the Courts at Mumbai and not at Patna.'
Updated 14:16 IST, August 11th 2020