ED questions personal staff of Sushant in money laundering probe

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday questioned the personal staff of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, including his servant, in connection with the money laundering case it is probing in the matter, officials said on Friday.

According to top ED officials, the agency recorded the statements of Pankaj Dubey, Rajat Mewati and Dipesh Sawant under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The official said that Sawant was the servant at Sushant's residence and he was among the five people who saw the body of the late actor at his Bandra flat on June 14.

Mewati, who was the accountant of Sushant, was asked about the finances and accounts of the late actor.

The ED also questioned him why he left the job and who used to give him instructions for payments and whether the actor's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty also gave him instructions.

An ED source related to the probe said that the probe agency, which took over the money laundering investigation on July 31, is also checking the flat in which his former girlfriend Ankita Lokhande is currently staying.

The source said that the ED is trying to find out who paid for the Rs 4.5 crore flat and if any amount was shared by Sushant.

Lokhande has been vocal since the death of Sushant on June 14 and has been demanding a CBI probe into the matter. She has been continuously backing the claims of the late actor's family.

The ED has taken over the probe on the basis of an FIR filed by the late actor's father, K.K. Singh, with the Bihar Police.

K.K. Singh in his complaint to Bihar Police on July 25 had alleged that Rs 15 crore was withdrawn or transferred from his son's Kotak Mahindra Bank account, following which the ED registered a case under the PMLA against Rhea and her family members on July 31.

Tags: Cinema, Showbiz