Varsha used Asha Bhosle's pistol to kill self: Police

The pistol allegedly used by Varsha Bhosle for ending her life belonged to her mother and legendary singer Asha Bhosale, who had lost it nearly three decades ago, police said on Wednesday.

In a brief meeting with police last evening, Asha Bhosle claimed she had lost the weapon nearly 30 years ago and it is the same firearm her daughter used to commit suicide, Gamdevi senior police inspector Pradip Lonandkar said.

"Asha had informed about the weapon missing from her Peddar Road house 30 years ago to the police wing concerned and subsequently her license had been revoked," he said.

Fifty-six-year-old Varsha shot herself dead with a Belgian-make 0.6 calibre pistol at her mother's flat at Prabhu Kunj on the posh Peddar Road of South Mumbai where her body was found lying on a sofa on Monday.

Another officer said it was not clear how Varsha possessed the pistol.

"There are many unanswered questions. Had Varsha hidden the pistol following which an unaware Asha lodged missing firearm complaint 30 years ago? If it was so, why Varsha wanted the weapon? Or Varsha caught hold of the weapon recently? These are the questions in our mind," the officer said.

Meanwhile, the statements of Varsha's aunt Usha Mangeshkar, relative Rachna Shah, driver Vijay Nakashe and housemaid Deepali Mane have been recorded so far.

According to police, Varsha was under treatment of doctors based in Pune for depression.

The bullet that pierced through her head was recovered from the scene, sources said, adding, the sound of the small firearm might not have been heard by neighbours due to its low decibel. Four bullets were still intact in the magazine of the pistol, they said.

Varsha, a singer and columnist, was alone in the Peddar Road flat at the time of the incident.

Although she was undergoing treatment for depression for the last two years, it is not yet clear what prompted her to take the extreme step, police said.

Inquiries so far have indicated that her depression had aggravated after the demise of noted fashion photographer friend Gautam Rajadhyaksha, with whom she wanted to start an orphanage. She had reportedly attempted to end her life twice in the past.