Tunisha death: Maha min calls it 'love jihad'; cops say affair broke in 3 mths

Actor Sheezan Khan, arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of co-actor Tunisha Sharma, has told investigators his relationship with her lasted for three months as it didn't work out between them and also spoke about the age gap between the two, a Vasai police official said on Monday.

The official said there is nothing so far to point out that Khan and Sharma decided to break up against the backdrop of the Shraddha Walkar murder case in which her live-in partner Aaftab Poonawala was arrested by the Delhi police.

The police in Maharashtra's Palghar district, where the incident occurred on Saturday, has recorded statements of 16 persons, he said.

Sharma, 21, who was acting in Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul, was found hanging in the washroom on the set of the serial on Saturday. Khan was arrested on Sunday for abetment of suicide.

Maharashtra minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Girish Mahajan, meanwhile, alleged the death of Sharma is a matter of love jihad and that the state is planning to bring a strict law to curb such incidents.

"TV actor Tushisha Sharma's death is a matter of love jihad. Police are investigating the case. We are seeing that such cases are increasing day by day. We are mulling to bring a strict law against it,” Mahajan said on Sunday.

"Love jihad" is a term coined by right-wing groups to allege a ploy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into religious conversion through marriage.

Countering Mahajan, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole told reporters in Nagpur the BJP was giving the "love jihad" angle to the case as it wanted to divert the attention of people from important issues.

As the incident triggered intense discussions on social media, Sharma's mother on Monday alleged Khan had cheated and "used" her daughter for three to four months.

"Khan was in a relationship with Tunisha and had promised to marry her. He was also in a relationship with another woman even while he was dating Tunisha. He used her for three to four months," she alleged and demanded Khan not be spared and punished.

On the other hand, family members of Khan issued a statement, saying he is cooperating in the investigation.

"We have full faith in the Indian judiciary system, and Sheezan is cooperating with the Mumbai Police through all the procedures. We will talk about this when the time is right, but for now, please allow us the privacy which our family deserves right now, " as per a statement issued by Khan's sisters Shafaq Naaz, Falaq Naaz and other members of the family based in suburban Malad in Mumbai.

Speaking about the investigation, a Vasai police official said, "Tunisha's co-actors, crew, studio officials, and people present at the studio when the incident occurred are being questioned by the Vasai Virar Mira Bhayender police to find out the trigger behind the suicide.

"Khan told the police he and Sharma were in a relationship which lasted for three months as they found it was not working out. Khan told us there was an age gap between the two as Khan was 27 years old and Tunisha was 21 years old," the official said.

Though their relationship stopped, both were on good terms with each other and used to speak also, he said, adding the police are verifying claims made by Khan.

Meanwhile, Khan was produced before a court in Vasai which remanded him in police custody till Wednesday.

Another official said the police are verifying the WhatsApp chats and call records of Sharma and Khan.

Asked if Sharma was pregnant, an official from the probe team said there was no indication of pregnancy in the preliminary autopsy report.

Sharma had acted in the TV show Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana Pratap and films like Fitoor and Baar Baar Dekho.

At the time of her death, Sharma was shooting for the serial Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul.

She had gone to the washroom on the set and did not return for a long time. When the door was broken down, the actress was found hanging inside, police had said.