Actress Preity Zinta returned from the United States on Sunday to record her statement in connection with a complaint she filed against former boyfriend and businessman Ness Wadia.
According to sources, the actress is likely to record her statement on Monday or Tuesday, reported the Times of India.
Preity left for the US last week after filing an FIR against Wadia alleging that the Bombay Dyeing heir abused and molested her in public on 30 May during a match between Kings XI Punjab and the Chennai Super Kings held at the Wankhede stadium. The 39-year-old actress also told the cops that she had given a verbal complaint about the incident to the BCCI officials.
Following the complaint, the cops began investigating the case. They have reportedly recorded statements from seven witnesses in connection with the case. Of the seven witnesses, five of them have confirmed that the incident did take place, reported Zee News.
On Thursday, COO Sundar Raman was questioned and he confirmed that Preity had informed him about the spat she had with Wadia on 30 May. The police have also recorded BCCI secretary Sanjay Patil's statement in connection with the case. They had asked Preity to join the investigation and record her statement. The actress landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai on Sunday, but refused to speak to mediapersons.
On his part, Wadia has denied the charges citing them as "false and baseless." In a new twist, the Wadia group filed a complaint that they have been receiving threat calls from gangster Ravi Pujari alleging that they will face trouble in their business if Preity was harassed. Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria had said that the calls were supposedly made from Iran.
Following the threat calls, the Mumbai police deployed cops outside the Wadias' corporate office, Wadia International Centre, at Lower Parel.
Three days after the incident, the Wadia group lodged a fresh complaint with the police claiming that they had got four more calls from the same number.
The anti-extortion cell of the crime branch is handling the investigation on the threat calls. They are trying to establish how Pujari, who is said to be operating from Australia and south Asia, called from a phone with its number traced to Iran.
An officer, acquainted with information about the investigation, has told the Press Trust of India that there are two separate investigations dealing with the complaints filed by Preity and the Wadia group. "While Marine Drive police is probing the case of alleged abuse and molestation filed by Zinta, the anti-extortion cell of crime branch is investigating the one related to the threat calls made by Pujari," the officer was quoted saying by PTI.
