In the latest development in the Tik Tok star Pooja Chavan suicide case, the investigating unit of the Pune Police department has revealed that they have discovered the recordings of “several calls” between her and Shiv Saina’s Sanjay Rathod, a former Maharashtra forest minister, within the “four-five days” before her suicide.
“Prima facie based on the evidence retrieved from the phone, the person talking to her (Pooja) appears to be Rathod. She had recorded all their conversations. The conversations took place in the Banjara language so we are getting a translation done,” a police source was quoted as telling The Indian Express.
While they have sent her phone to Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Pune for retrieval of its data, it has been revealed that the last call on her phone with Rathod lasted for 90 minutes.
Pooja Chavan had died after falling from a building on February 7, and Pune Police had said they were probing the suicide angle. The accused Sanjay Rathod is facing allegations of having links with Pooja after his purported photographs, audio, and video clips with her went viral on social media. It was alleged that Rathod was in a relationship with her.
Pooja Chavan and Sanjay Rathod were from the same tribal Banjara community. The Tik Tok star, before her death, had been living in Pune, from where she was pursuing some educational course.
Apart from phone, Police has also got CCTV footage from the premises of her college, Yavatmal Medical College hospital, captured before dawn on February 6, approximately 24 hours before Pooja killed herself in Pune. The recording too have been sent to the forensic department.
According to the sources, the footage contains purported images of Pooja with Arun Rathod, a close aide of Sanjay Rathod’s. Arun and another aide of Sanjay Rathod’s, Vilas Chavan, stayed with Pooja in the rented apartment in Heaven Park in Pune’s Mohammed Wadi, where she died.
Police have also been considering Pooja Chavan’s pregnancy and subsequent abortion as the possible reason for her suicide.
Pune Police had detained and questioned Arun Rathod after Pooja’s suicide and had also examined his phone. They had filed an accidental death report (ADR) in the matter.
Due to her popularity, Pooja was known to Pankaja Munde, the BJP leader from Beed. Following her death, Munde had tweeted demanding an investigation.
