Rhea replaced Sushant's entire staff, claims his former assistant
What's the story
Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput's alleged girlfriend, actor Rhea Chakraborty, had replaced his entire staff and barred them from directly accessing him, his former assistant Sabir Ahmed has claimed.
His statement comes at a time when Rhea is facing serious criminal charges in Sushant's death case, including the abetment of suicide and money laundering.
Here are more details on this.
Interview
Rhea wanted to put her people in our places: Sabir
In an interaction with Pinkvilla, Sabir said that when Rhea entered the picture, he was in his hometown.
So, when he returned to work, he could not contact Sushant. He was later told that Rhea had removed the entire existing staff.
"She wanted to put all her people in our places. After that, I didn't go back and never met Sushant sir," he added.
Statement
New staff wasn't allowed access to Sushant, Sabir added
Sabir went on to add that some members of the new staff also claimed that they were never allowed to directly contact Sushant, and instead Rhea would manage everything.
"I heard from the new staff that they were not allowed access to Sushant sir at all. They had to speak to Rhea for everything and she would manage everything," he told the publication.
Details
However, Rhea has claimed to be innocent
However, Rhea has denied all allegations against her and maintained that she is innocent.
Recently, she shared a "gratitude list" purportedly written by Sushant, where he had expressed gratitude toward her and her family.
She has also released a few WhatsApp exchanges, where Sushant had allegedly called his sister Priyanka "manipulative" and "pure evil," and praised Rhea and her family.
Probe
On Friday, Rhea was questioned for 9 hours by ED
On Friday, Rhea was questioned for nine hours by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the money laundering charges leveled against her.
She was reportedly questioned about her income, business, and professional deals.
Her father, Indrajit Chakraborty, and brother Showik were also interrogated.
According to reports, Rhea told ED officials that she did not use Sushant's money for any of her investments or expenses.
Quote
Rhea has nothing to hide, her lawyer said
Meanwhile, Rhea's lawyer, Satish Maneshinde, has said that the actor has nothing to hide. "She has nothing to hide. In the event she is called again, she will appear at the appointed time," the advocate told the media.
Case
ED is probing alleged transfers of Rs. 15 crore
On July 25, Sushant's father, KK Singh, had filed an FIR against Rhea in Patna, accusing her of fraud and driving the late actor to suicide.
In the police complaint, it was also alleged that Rs. 15 crore were suspiciously transferred from Sushant's bank accounts. Based on that allegation, the ED, which probes financial crimes, swung into action and registered a money laundering case.
CBI action
CBI investigating 'abetment of suicide' case against Rhea
On Wednesday, the Central government appointed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the country's top investigating agency, to probe the case against Rhea and others.
The investigating agency has since filed an FIR against Rhea, her family members, and others.
In fact, a special investigation team (SIT) of CBI, which previously investigated high-profile crimes like Vijay Mallya's case, has taken charge of this case.
SC hearing
Rhea's petition in SC to be heard on Tuesday
However, Rhea has opined the top agency should stay away from the case until the Supreme Court hearing on her plea is completed.
Notably, Rhea has filed a petition in SC, seeking transfer of case against her from Patna to Mumbai. The hearing is scheduled to take place on August 11.
Meanwhile, KK Singh has filed a counter-affidavit in SC against Rhea's plea.
SSR
Sushant was found dead at Mumbai home on June 14
Sushant was found dead at his apartment in Mumbai on June 14. Citing initial evidence, the police had termed it a case of suicide.
The actor had been suffering from clinical depression for the past few months, medical reports have suggested.
The Mumbai Police is also carrying out an investigation.
Sushant starred in movies such as PK, M.S. Dhoni, Kedarnath, Sonchiriya, and Dil Bechara.