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Kritika Chaudhary, the 28-year-old small time actor, who was found murdered at her Andheri home last month, was killed over Rs 6,000 that she allegedly owed to a local drug dealer, revealed the Mumbai police. Almost a month after a partially-dressed Chaudhary was discovered dead under mysterious circumstances in her apartment, investigators, on Monday, announced the arrest of two men in connection with the crime.
The police said that one of the accused left his blood-stained shirt at the crime scene, which also helped investigators zero in on the accused. After the murder, the accused duo fled their homes, and was staying in the Malwani area of Malad (West) before moving to Panvel. One of the accused was subsequently picked up from Panvel. The two were produced a magistrate’s court on Monday, and have been remanded in police custody for a week for further investigations.
According to the police, the victim knew Khan for one and a half years before she was murdered, and allegedly purchased drugs like MDMA and meow meow from him.
Meanwhile, Deepak Chaudhary, Kritika’s 25-year-old brother told The Quint that police informed him about the arrests on Monday noon, and that the motive of Rs 6,000 had come as a shock to the family.
Deepak, a Haridwar resident, added that he suspects that the murder was perhaps motivated by some other reason.
Investigators said that the accused, after killing Chaudhary, also robbed her of the jewellery on her person. Deepak, while speaking to The Quint earlier, had stated that robbery could be the motive behind the crime since jewellery worth Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh was missing from her body when it was discovered.
Speaking about her drug habit, a former friend of Chaudhary had earlier told The Quint that the actor’s addiction would often get out of hand, and that she would call a person, who would deliver the drugs to her apartment.
At around 3.45 pm on June 12, the Mumbai police’s control room received a call from residents of Chaudhary’s building, complaining about the stench from her apartment. When the police reached the apartment, they found it locked from outside. After they broke the door open, Chaudhary’s partially decomposed body was discovered on the floor. The Amboli police, who had initially recorded an accidental death report, registered a murder case after her post mortem reports arrived, revealing injuries to her head.
Chaudhary, originally from Haridwar, came to Mumbai seven to eight years ago to make a career in the film industry. She featured in the Kangana Ranaut-starrer Rajjo, and had also appeared on a few television shows, including a Balaji creation, and another crime show. However, Choudhary’s career had failed to take the flight she had expected it to. She was living alone in a one-bedroom apartment in the Amboli area of western Mumbai.
Also read: Kritika Was an Addict, Attempted Suicide Earlier, Says Ex-Friend
(Puja Changoiwala is a journalist, and author of the critically-acclaimed true crime book, ‘The Front Page Murders.’)
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