Published 11:57 IST, August 23rd 2020
Siddharth Pithani & Sushant's cook Neeraj contradict each other; CBI to grill them again
CBI is all set to reexamine Sushant Singh Rajput's cook Neeraj and his former flatmate Siddharth Pithani as contradictions emerge in their statements
The Central of Investigation (CBI) is all set to reexamine Sushant Singh Rajput's cook Neeraj and his ex-flatmate Siddharth Pithani, with the latter already having been brought in to the DRDO guest house on Sunday morning. Sources informed that several inconsistencies have emerged in their statements. Pithani and Neeraj were quizzed by the central agency on Saturday and were taken to Sushant's home in Bandra to recreate the crime scene.
Sources informed Republic TV that while narrating the sequence of events of June 13 and 14, both have contradicted each other and have even done so when confronted with one another. Neeraj was first picked up on the very first day that the CBI began probing the death case of Sushant Singh Rajput upon the team's arrival in Mumbai, whereas Pithani joined the probe a day later after coming to Mumbai from Hyderabad.
After he was questioned for over 5 hours on Saturday, Republic TV confronted him after he left Sushant's home with CBI officials, during which time he attempted to flee from the spot and didn't volunteer any information. Sources said that he is being asked specific questions about how he got in touch with Sushant and Rhea Chakraborty and what happened on June 8 when the latter moved out of late actor's house.
Siddharth Pithani and contradictions in his statement
Earlier, Siddharth Pithani, in his interview with Republic TV, claimed that he had a personal conversation with Rhea Chakraborty before she left the house on June 8. However, his statement to other media organisation suggests otherwise. While Sushant's family has clearly stated that it was Pithani who allegedly told them that Rhea was harassing Sushant until a couple of days before his death, Pithani himself said that it was Sushant's family who sought help from him regarding Rhea. Moreover, while he admitted that Rhea gave medicines to Sushant, he also said Rhea might not have gone to 'medicine shop personally'. There have been many intrinsic and extraneous inconsistencies in Pithani's statements since he first appeared in front of the cameras, around the same time as Rhea's statement and Sandip Ssingh's account also emerged.
Neeraj's narrative
Speaking to Republic TV, Neeraj had narrated his version of events that took place on the day before Sushant's body was allegedly found hanging in his room on July 14.
"I had been working with him for 1.5 years. On the day of the incident, I was at home. We were four people in the house and sir was there. I was cleaning outside the gate. Sir came to me and asked me to give him a glass of cold water. He also asked me if everything was fine, so he smiled at me and went back. This was my last meeting with him on June 14, at around 8-8.15 am in the morning," said Neeraj Singh.
'I was called by Siddharth Pithani': Locksmith speaks to Republic TV
In yet another revelation on August 22, the locksmith who was called on June 14 to break the door of late Bollywood actor's room has told Republic TV that he was not allowed to enter the room by all of those present. Narrating the events of June 14, the locksmith said that he was called by Siddharth Pithani but was not informed about the death of Sushant. When he broke the lock, the locksmith said that '3-4 people' at his home told him to leave and did not allow him to see inside the room. The locksmith also added that it was only after an hour when he received a call from Mumbai Police that he came to know it was Sushant Singh Rajput's home and that the actor has died. The CBI is likely to summon Rhea Chakraborty, as well as Sandip Ssingh.
Updated 11:57 IST, August 23rd 2020