Co-star of actor Tunisha Sharma who died by suicide sent to police custody
Mumbai: Sheezan Khan, co-actor and ex-boyfriend of Tunisha Sharma who was found dead on the set of a television show, was on Sunday remanded to police custody for four days, officers said
Mumbai: Sheezan Khan, co-actor and ex-boyfriend of Tunisha Sharma who was found dead on the set of a television show, was on Sunday remanded to police custody for four days, officers said.
According to the police, Sharma and Khan met on the set of television series Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul, which is being aired on SAB TV. “Five months ago, when the couple were shooting in Ladakh for the show, they got closer and started dating,” said a senior police officer from Waliv police station in Thane’s Vasai East.
Khan (28) was arrested on Saturday after 20-year-old Sharma’s body was found in the bathroom of the TV set, police said. A case of abetment to suicide under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against him on the basis of a complaint by Sharma’s mother.
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On Sunday, Khan was presented before the Vasai court, which remanded him to police custody till December 28.
In his statement to the police, Khan said he had broken up with Sharma as they were from different religions and there was also an eight-year age difference between the two and he knew the relationship could not culminate in marriage. “Khan told us that even after the break-up, they were friends and were working together,” said the officer quoted above.
On Saturday after finishing the shooting of a scene, Sharma allegedly locked herself in the bathroom on the set of the TV series. When she did not return for a while, her co-stars went and knocked on the door. When they did not get any response, they broke open the door and found Sharma hanging, police said. No suicide note was recovered at the spot by police.
“Sharma and Khan had an affair. They had a break-up 15 days ago after which she died by suicide on the sets of her show,” assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Chandrakant Jadhav said during a press conference.
Sharma’s body was brought to JJ Hospital in Naigaon around 1.30 am on Sunday where her post-mortem examination was conducted. The Waliv police said the post-mortem report of the actor specified “hanging” as the cause of death.
“The autopsy was conducted till 4.30 am and four to five police personnel were also present,” officers said, adding that the body has been kept in cold storage and is yet to be handed over to her family. Police said they will investigate the death from both the murder and suicide angles.
Police have recorded statements of 14 people from the set in Naigaon so far. “Her make-up artist told us that Sharma shot for her scenes that day without any hesitation,” said Kailas Barve, senior police inspector of Waliv police station. “We have sent Sharma’s phone for forensic analysis to find out who she spoke to or messaged before taking the extreme step.”
Khan’s lawyer Sharad Rai said the police needed time to gather evidence for which they were granted police custody. “Sheezan Khan has been sent to custody for four days. Police do not have any evidence as yet. Allegations are put against him. Further probe is yet to be conducted,” the advocate said.
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Meanwhile, the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) on Sunday demanded that the Maharashtra government set up a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the death of the actor.
“We demand the government form an SIT in Tunisha Sharma’s suicide case and the investigation be done properly. Today, I went to the set where Tunisha Sharma died by suicide. I found people were scared. Something wrong must have happened,” said AICWA president Suresh Shyamlal Gupta. “Women are not safe on the set (of the television show that Tunisha was shooting for). The set is at a very interior location where people are afraid to commute.”
Sharma made her acting debut with TV series Bharat Ka Veer Putra - Maharana Pratap and also appeared in Bollywood movies such as Fitoor, Baar Baar Dekho, Kahaani 2, and Dabangg 3.
