Sushant Singh Rajput's death mystery laid to rest, CBI files closure reports, rules out foul play

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed closure reports in two separate cases related to the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, bringing to rest five years of conspiracy theories.

The CBI reports, based on expert opinion, crime scene analysis, witness statements and forensic reports, concluded that there was no material to support the allegations that anyone could have driven the actor to suicide.

In its reported medico-legal opinion to the CBI, forensic specialists at AIIMS had dismissed the claims of "poisoning and strangling" made in the case of Rajput's death.

One case was related to the abetment to suicide case filed by Rajput's father, and another by the actor's rumoured girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty against his sisters, officials said on Saturday.

The courts will now decide whether to accept the report or order further probe by the agency, the officials quoted above said.

Chakraborty’s advocate Satish Maneshinde hailed the closure report and thanked the CBI for "having thoroughly investigated every aspect of the case from all angles".

Rajput was found hanging from the ceiling of his apartment in suburban Bandra in Mumbai on June 14, 2020. He was 34. His postmortem conducted at Cooper Hospital had concluded that the actor died due to asphyxia.

The CBI investigated the two separate cases -- filed by KK Singh with Patna Police accusing Chakraborty of abetment to suicide and siphoning off Rs 15 crore from the actor's accounts; and the second filed by Chakraborty in Bandra accusing Rajput's sisters of giving medicines to him on the basis of bogus prescription issued by a Delhi doctor.

In the case filed before Bandra Police, which was later taken over by the CBI, Chakraborty had alleged that Rajput died five days after these medicines were wrongly prescribed to him.

The CBI submitted its findings on Rajput's father K K Singh's complaint in a closure report before a special court in Patna, while the closure report in the second case was submitted before a special court in Mumbai.

The courts will now decide whether to accept the report or order further probe by the agency, the officials quoted above said.

The CBI had recorded the statements of Rhea Chakraborty and others in his close circle, and collected the actor's medical records.

Chakraborty’s advocate Satish Maneshinde hailed the closure report filed by the CBI. "We are grateful to the CBI for having thoroughly investigated every aspect of the case from all angles and closed the case," the advocate said in a statement.

Maneshinde said the amount of "false narrative in social media and electronic media was totally uncalled for".

"Due to the (Covid) pandemic, every one was glued to the television and social media in the absence of anything happening in the country. Innocent people were hounded and paraded before the media and investigative authorities," the statement said.

"Rhea Chakraborty had to undergo untold miseries and was behind bars for 27 days before being released on bail," he said.