The Mumbai Police on Monday arrested two people in connection with the murder of television actress Kritika Chaudhary. They allegedly killed the 27-year-old for not paying one of the accused Rs 6,000 for drugs she had bought in July 2016, reported The Times of India.
Shakeel Khan (33) and Basu Das (40) have been remanded to police custody till July 17. The police may add charges of robbery in the FIR against them as they said they had stolen gold from her after killing her. However, the duo claimed they had not meant to kill her, but that the matter had “gone of hand”.
The police had been monitoring Khan’s movement after CCTV footage showed the two men walking out of Chaudhary’s apartment days before she was found dead, according to The Indian Express. “After a witness helped us identify the men in the CCTV footage, we began to look for them,” an officer told the daily.
However, other reports claimed that it was the watchman of the housing society who had tipped off the police. Their suspicion grew after Khan went into hiding once he learned that the police were on the lookout for him.
Chaudhary’s decomposed body was found in Bhairavnath Apartments in Mumbai’s Andheri suburb on June 12. Her neighbours had informed the police of a foul smell emanating from her apartment.
However, Chaudhary’s brother Deepak said he was not convinced by the police’s account of events. “After we arrived in Mumbai to claim her body, the police handed over Rs 22,000 in cash they had found in Kritika’s house...We want the death penalty for the men if they are guilty,” he said, according to The Indian Express.
Chaudhary was seen in Balaji Telefilms’ TV series Parichay. She had also played a small role in Kangana Ranaut-starrer Rajjo.
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