Hotelier Gaurav Arya, who has been subpoenaed by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in connection with a parallel investigation into allegations of money laundering in the Sushant Singh Rajput case, claimed on Sunday that he had never met the actor.
Officials from the Emergency Department called Arya, who runs the Tamarind Hotel and Cotinga Cafe in Goa, for questioning on Monday.
“I have no connection to the case. I never met Sushant Singh Rajput. I met her (Rhea) in 2017, ”the Goa hotelier was quoted as saying by ANI news agency.
Arya has also been linked to the drug angle in connection with the Rajput’s death at his Mumbai apartment on June 14. His name appeared on Chakraborty’s drug-related WhatsApp conversations. Investigators believe that he used to supply drugs to Chakraborty.
It has been booked under the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) of 1985 and is being investigated by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). The bureau on Wednesday filed a first information report (FIR) against Chakraborty, his brother Showik, talent manager Jaya Saha, former Rajput manager Shruti Modi and Arya under sections 20, 22, 27 and 29 of the NDPS law. .
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ED officials had also visited the Tamarind Hotel run by Arya in Anjuna, a coastal town in North Goa, but found that the property was closed. They posted a notice on the hotel door stating that Arya is to meet with Rajiv Kumar, Deputy Director, ED, at 11 am on Monday regarding a case brought under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 .
According to authorities, the hotel has been closed since closure restrictions were applied in March to contain the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak.
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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating the case of Rajput’s death and has so far questioned Chakraborty, Showik, Rajput manager Samual Miranda, domestic helper Keshav, cook Neeraj Singh, roommate and friend Siddharth Pithani and accountant Rajat Mewati.
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