Mumbai police team in Bihar to investigate actor Akshat Utkarsh death case

Actor Akshat Utkarsh’s father lodged a written complaint with Muzaffarpur Town police station. However, based on a zero FIR filed by police, the probe into the murder allegations was transferred to Mumbai’s Amboli Police as the incident occurred in their jurisdiction.

PATNA: A two-member team of Mumbai police on Wednesday reached Bihar’s Muzaffarpur town and recorded statements of the family members of actor Akshat Utkarsh (26), who died in mysterious circumstances on September 27, 2020 in Mumbai, police said.

Actor Akshat Utkarsh died in mysterious circumstances on September 27, 2020 in Mumbai. (File)

The actor’s body was recovered from Andheri (W) residence under the jurisdiction of Amboli police station. While police registered an accidental death report (ADR) in the matter, his family accused police of inefficiency and claimed it was a murder.

Akshat’s father Vijyant Kishore alias Raju Choudhary on October 1, 2020 lodged a written complaint with Muzaffarpur Town police station against 3 persons including his flat mate Shikha Rajput and his society secretary Kishore Thakkar, accusing them of killing his son after he was allegedly pressurised by his girlfriend for marriage.

Based on a zero FIR filed by police, the probe into the murder allegations was transferred to Mumbai’s Amboli Police as the incident occurred in their jurisdiction, Muzaffarpur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Jayant Kant told HT on Wednesday.

Akshat, a resident of New Sikanderpur, worked for TV series and advertisements. He also signed a Bhojpuri film ‘Litti-Chokha’.

The Mumbai police told reporters that the Amboli police have lodged an FIR under section 302 (Punishment for murder) and 34 (acts by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in this connection.

Advocate Subodh Kumar Jha, who pursues Akshat’s case urged the human rights commission and the Supreme Court to look into the matter. “The Mumbai police reached Bihar after 16 months of the incident following an instruction of the human rights commission,” said Jha.

Earlier the Bihar police, instead of registering a zero FIR, decided to go to Mumbai and investigate the Sushant Singh Rajput death case after a complaint was filed by the late actor’s family with Rajiv Nagar police station in Patna. The Patna police’s move triggered an ugly face-off with the Mumbai Police who questioned the Bihar police’s jurisdiction over the matter.