Ankita Lokhande clarifies her stance on investigation into Sushant's death
Mumbai: Actor Ankita Lokhande on Wednesday said that she has never claimed that Sushant Singh Rajput was "murdered" but wants "justice" for her "late friend" and his family.
Rajput, 34, was found dead in his Bandra apartment in June. His death has sparked a lot of controversy in the media.
Lokhande, who met Rajput on the sets of TV show "Pavitra Rishta" and dated him till 2016, had posted "Justice" on her Twitter wall after Rajput's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty was arrested by NCB.
Chakraborty, who has been accused of abetting Rajput's suicide by his family, was arrested on Tuesday, by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a drugs case linked to the late actor's death.
Following Chakraborty's arrest, Lokhande tweeted, "Nothing happens by chance, by fate. You create your own fate by your actions. That's Karma."
Now Lokhande has opened up about her reasons to stand with Rajput's family as she shared a statement on her social media handles.
"I again clarify, for the reason time and again being asked by the media to me on whether I feel it's a murder or suicide? I have never said it's a murder or anyone in particular is responsible.
"I always have encouraged justice for my late friend SSR and stood by the bereaved family and truth should be brought out by the investigating agencies," Lokhande wrote in her statement.
Calling herself a"Maharashtrian and an Indian citizen", the actor said she has total faith in the state government and central investigative agencies.
Lokhande also said that many people have called her names but she never responded to anything and came forward to speak about Rajput when they were together.
"I only came forward to narrate about SSR and his mental health till 2016," she added.
Addressing her "haters", Lokhande said Chakraborty was the closest person to the actor and so she should not have let him consume drugs.
"When she very well knew about his mental state by publicly stating that he was in depression. Should she have allowed a depressed man to consume drugs? How is that going to help?
"His condition would deteriorate to a level that would make a man take the action that SSR has allegedly taken. She was the closest person to him at that time," Lokhande claimed.
The actor said that on one hand, Chakraborty was coordinating with Rajput's doctors regarding his health issues, but on the other hand, she was "coordinating drug logistics for him".
"Would anyone, who claims to have loved someone so deeply, allow the other person to consume drugs claiming to know his mental state and condition? Would you do that? I don't think anyone would. So how can it not be seen as an act of carelessness and irresponsibility?" Lokhande claimed.
The actor also raised questions as to why Rajput's family was not informed about his depression as well as his issues with drugs.
"As per her, she informed his family about his ongoing treatment but did she ever inform them about his drug consumption? I am sure she didn't because maybe she, herself, enjoyed consuming it. And this is why I feel it's Karma/Fate," she added.
Lokhande said she will continue to support Rajput's family, while asking her haters to maintain civility.
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
