Jiah Khan case: CBI searches Aditya Pancholi’s residence

Mumbai: The CBI on Wednesday conducted searches at the residence of Bollywood actor Aditya Pancholi in connection with the death of starlet Jiah Khan (25), who was found hanging from the neck at her Juhu residence on June 3, 2013. Mr Aditya’s son, Sooraj Pancholi, was arrested by the Mumbai police for abetting Ms Khan’s suicide and charge sheeted on January 11, 2014 although Ms Khan’s mother Rabiya maintained that her daughter had been murdered based on a separate forensic probe by an independent analyst.

CBI spokesperson Kanchan Prasad from New Delhi said, “Searches have been conducted by a CBI team from Mumbai.” The case was handed over to the CBI by the Bombay high court, which directed it to ascertain whether it was a suicidal or homicidal death. “If it is concluded that it is a homicide, we will then probe further to identify the culprit,” she added.

One of the findings of the independent forensic probe commissioned by Ms Rabiya said that the level of alcohol found in Ms Khan’s body could not have allowed her to make elaborate suicide arrangements like standing on a stool and suspending herself. The independent probe also found several “lacunae” in the forensic findings submitted to the Mumbai police by the State Forensic Science Laboratory at Kalina. According to Ms Rabiya, her daughter’s murder had been made to look like a suicide and the Mumbai police was trying to shield the real killer.