'Balika Vadhu' actor Pratyusha Banerjee dies by suicide in Mumbai flat

Pratyusha Banerjee rose to fame as Anandi in Balika Vadhu

Sources say that the officers who reached the seventh-floor Goregaon flat that Pratyusha Banerjee shared with Rahul Raj Singh, found it in a mess.

Pratyusha's body arrives at the Oshiwara cemetery. Pic/Rane Ashish

On Friday, one team of officers from Bangur Nagar police station reached Harmony Residency, behind Carnival Mall in Goregaon West. They entered the 1BHK at 9.30 pm after a keymaker opened the door for them.

Sources said that the cops who were conducting the punchnama - it was also recorded on video - found the living room with belongings strewn all over.

Close friend and actress Kamya Punjabi breaks down at Siddharth hospital in Goregaon on Saturday. Pic/Shadab Khan

An officer told mid-day, "There were two cartons of beer. One was empty while the other still had some cans in it. Other bottles of alcohol were also in the room."

In the bedroom, the officers found two packets of what they suspected to be marijuana. There were close to 150 cigarette butts in the flat. The living room, cops say, have two fans and Pratyusha hanged herself using a dupatta from the first fan.

High drama ensued when a fellow actress friend of Pratyusha's fainted on seeing Pratyusha's body at the funeral. Pic/Rane Ashish

Officers have taken the statements of a few friends of Pratyusha and her parents, who have said that they are not blaming Rahul for her suicide.

They have asked the police to conduct a fair investigation. Rahul's statement was recorded late on Saturday night. Investigating officer Deepak Fatangare said,

"We have taken the statement of Pratyusha's parents, her driver and the key maker. The parents have not made any allegations against Rahul. We will cross check all statements before verifying facts."