TV actor’s suicide: Mumbai cops say boyfriend may not be involved

Police say they have not found anything incriminating against Rahul Raj Singh so far

The police on Saturday questioned Rahul Raj Singh, the boyfriend of actress Pratyusha Banerjee who was found hanging in her Goregaon apartment on Friday. The police said they have detained him for questioning but have not found anything incriminating against him yet.

Pratyusha Banerjee’s body being taken to Oshiwara crematorium from Siddharth Hospital on Saturday. (Satish Bate / Hindustan Times)

A police officer privy to the investigations said, “We have recorded statements of both her parents and they have not levelled any allegations against Singh. We have not found anything against Singh so far.” Banerjee’s parents, however, said the police should conduct the investigations to take the case to its logical conclusion. They told the police that the couple used to fight occasionally but they would patch up eventually.

Meanwhile, media persons and locals flocked Siddharth Hospital all day, as Banerjee’s co-stars and other co-stars were in the hospital. Her parents arrived in the city from Jamshedpur and reached the hospital around 12.15pm.

Singh was brought to the hospital in a police vehicle. He was seen wailing as he stepped out of the vehicle and subsequently taken to the autopsy centre, where he underwent questioning in a room for a few hours.

Police sources said he gave a sequence of events leading to the discovery of the body. The police have so far recorded the statements of eight people, including Banerjee’s parents and Singh and some close friends of the actress.

Doctors at the autopsy facility at Siddharth Hospital, Goregaon, have collected samples of her nails, hairs and viscera for further forensic examination. “There were some ligature marks on her neck region, but we have kept the cause of deaths as pending until the forensic reports arrive,” said an official at the facility. Viscera (parts of the organs) have been preserved for histopathology and chemical analysis.

Advocate Neeraj Gupta, who is representing Singh, said, “Let the police investigate the case. My client is innocent.” When asked if the couple had a fight, Gupta rubbished them as baseless rumours. He also refuted claims of a financial dispute. “They were happy with each other. He is cooperating with the police and wants the truth,” said Gupta.

After the autopsy, Banerjee’s body was taken to the Oshiwara crematorium. Soon after the cremation, Singh was whisked away from the hospital back to Bangur Nagar police station.