Mumbai police on Saturday recorded statement of television actor Rahul Raj Singh in connection with the alleged suicide of his girlfriend and actress Pratyusha Banerjee
An undated picture of Pratyusha Banerjee and boyfriend Rahul Raj Singh. Pic/Yogen Shah
Mumbai police on Saturday recorded statement of television actor Rahul Raj Singh in connection with the alleged suicide of his girlfriend and actress Pratyusha Banerjee.
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Rahul Raj Singh, in his statement to the police, said, "We both moved to this flat 2 months ago. I was in a live-in relationship with Pratyusha. We were happy and planning to marry soon."
Designer Rohit Verma claims that he was asked by Pratyusha to prepare a wedding lehenga and it was half done. He had spoken to her a day before death.
Also read: Pratyusha Banerjee's boyfriend on the run after 'Balika Vadhu' actress kills self
An undated picture of Pratyusha Banerjee and boyfriend Rahul Raj Singh. Pic/Yogen Shah
Singh, a former state-level cricketer who also owns a production house, was the first person to see Pratyusha's body hanging from the ceiling fan of her flat in Goregaon West on Friday afternoon.
He immediately alerted neighbours and with their help, rushed her to Kokilaben Ambani Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
An investigator said her death may have occurred around 5 p.m. on Friday, but details would be known only after the autopsy report is received.
In pictures - Pratyusha Banerjee death: TV celebs visit Kokilaben Hospital
Singh will be taken to the flat for investigations. Police team is already searching for clues, but no suicide note has been found.
Late Friday evening, the entertainment industry was stunned to learn of the sudden demise of Pratyusha, who was renowned for her role Anandi in the TV serial "Balika Vadhu" with many even dismissing it as an April Fools' joke.
Hailing from Jharkhand, the 24-year-old was last seen in a role in another TV serial "Sasural Simar Ka" and had earlier participated in the fifth season of the reality dance show "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa", "Bigg Boss 7" and hosted some episodes of "Savdhaan India".
Her parents reached Mumbai on Saturday morning to take charge of her body, but details of her funeral -- whether it will be performed here or her birth place Jamshedpur -- are not yet known.
The glamour industry is rife with speculation about her disturbed personal life, her suspected uneasy relationship with Rahul and other aspects that may have prompted her to resort to the extreme step.
Also read: Shocking! 'Balika Vadhu' actress Pratyusha Banerjee commits suicide
Prior to Pratyusha, several high-profile suicides of several young women rocked the entertainment capital of India, including the likes of Nafisa Joseph, Kuljeet Randhawa, Viveka Babajee, Jiah Khan, Shikha Joshi and Ruby Singh, in the past 10 years.
(With inputs from Gaurav Dubey)