Actor Rhea Chakraborty has filed a complaint with the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) accusing a neighbour of making “patently false and bogus allegations… to mislead the investigation” into the death of fellow actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Ms Chakraborty, who has been made the subject of lurid conspiracies and trolling regarding her alleged role in Mr Rajput’s death, also complained against “media channels (that) carried false and bogus stories without any material to substantiate… to achieve their own ends”.
In her letter to the CBI Ms Chakraborty said the neighbour’s allegation – “that the late Sushant Singh Rajput had dropped me to my residence in his car on June 13” – was “utterly false”.
“… said conduct makes a prima facie case punishable… with imprisonment for a minimum of seven years,” she said in her letter, adding that a recording of the “false and bogus stories” carried by certain news channels was being forwarded.
On Sunday sources said the neighbour had failed to substantiate her claim – that she saw Mr Rajput drop Ms Chakraborty to her residence on June 13.
Mr Rajput died at his Mumbai residence the following day.
The CBI team met the neighbour when they were at Ms Chakraborty’s home in connection with the investigation. But when they asked her about her claims, she could not provide evidence.
The CBI had subsequently warned her against spreading false information.
Ms Chakraborty, who was last week released on bail after spending nearly a month in Mumbai’s Byculla Jail, has been vilified by a section of the electronic media.
The actor has blamed this for the snowballing of the issue, leading to three central agencies being involved, the arrest of her and her brother, and the harassment of her father by media persons.
After the High Court granted her bail, and contradicted the Narcotics Bureau’s claim she was “an active member of a drugs syndicate”, Ms Chakraborty’s lawyer, Satish Maneshinde, said the actor would fight back against all those who had made fake claims about her.
“We will be forwarding to the CBI a list of people who made fake and false claims on TV and electronic media, including carrying mobile recording and fake stories… with particular reference to Rhea Chakraborty,” Mr Maneshinde said in a statement.
“We request CBI to take legal proceedings against them for misleading the investigation,” he added.
Meanwhile, on Monday leading Bollywood filmmakers filed a lawsuit in the Delhi High Court against “irresponsible reporting by certain media houses”, in the latest fallout of the investigation.
