In a turn of events, the Italian 8 mm pistol, which two UP criminals claimed belonged to Rakhi Sawant, actually belongs to Rakhee Gulzar, reports Mid Day.
After seeing the front page report on the Rakhi Sawant gun controversy, veteran actress Rakhee Gulzar telephoned Mid Day to say that the Italian 8 mm pistol, which two arrested UP criminals claimed was Rakhi's, actually belonged to her. And, Rakhee claims, it wasn't a real pistol as presumed by the UP police, but a fake one.
Rakhee said that the dummy pistol, along with other valuables worth Rs 7 lakh, was stolen from her Bandra residence in January and that, until she read the news in Mid Day, neither she nor the Bandra police had any clue who the people behind the theft were.
"The pistol looked like a real one, I even used it for a film shoot. It was a gift from Salim Khan (Salman Khan's father)," said Rakhee.
Speaking about the theft, she said, "The valuables were secondary. I was always keen to know who the people behind the theft were, and, till we read Mid Day, there was no news about the culprits."
Rakhee now wants the Bandra police to get the accused, Keshav Pandey (28) and Chandrakant Mishra (32), transferred to Mumbai for interrogation.
Meanwhile, Assistant Police Inspector Anil Bhadgujar of Bandra police station, who is investigating the case, said, "She (Rakhee) did not mention any gun in her complaint to us. We will get in touch with the UP police and seek custody of the arrested accused. We will probe the case from all angles. Also, we will record Rakhee's statement again."
When Rakhee was asked whether she had mentioned the gun, she said, "I had told the police about it when they visited my house to inspect the crime scene. I even showed them the gun's case. They should have shown seriousness in nabbing the people responsible for the theft, but now, thanks to Mid Day and the similarities in the name, the police can get down to the facts of my case."
According to the Mid Day report, Keshav Pandey (28) and Chandrakant Mishra (32) were arrested by the Belha police in Pratapgarh district in northern UP on charges of looting local businessman Ramdev Gupta at gunpoint. Police recovered three desi kattas and an Italian 8 mm caliber pistol from the duo.
During interrogation, the suspects revealed that the pistol belonged to a Mumbai actress Raakhi and said they had stolen it from her when they were in Mumbai.
Pratapgarh police said that Pandey and Mishra were wanted in more than 10 cases of extortion and robbery. "We were shocked when we recovered such arms and ammunition from them," said an official.
Mishra drives a taxi in Mumbai for eight months of the year and is believed to be involved in criminal activities in UP with his associate Pandey for the remaining four.
Rakhi Sawant, on her part, has vehemently denied the charges. Rakhi told Mid Day: "I have never had a weapon or even applied for one despite receiving threats. If someone takes my name, it's not my fault. I can take care of myself as I am a gun myself. I am ready for any investigation and will cooperate with the police."
The UP police have written a letter to Mumbai Police Commissioner D Sivanandhan to carry out parallel investigations and ascertain whether the allegations levelled by the duo are true.
Superintendent of Police Lalji Shukla from Pratapgarh confirmed the report of the accusation and said, "We have asked the Mumbai police to investigate the claims made by the accused. A special team will go to Mumbai this week for further investigation and question Rakhi with the Mumbai police's help."
