Broke off with Tunisha due to Shraddha murder case, Sheezan tells police

Mumbai: The main accused in TV actor Tunisha Sharma’s death case, her former boyfriend Sheezan Khan, reportedly told police that he was “so disturbed by the atmosphere in the country that emerged after the gruesome murder of Shraddha Walkar” allegedly by her live-in partner, that Khan decided to end their relationship, sources said on Monday.

During his first day in police custody, Sheezan told Waliv police that he ended the relationship with Tunisha after seeing repercussions emerging from the Shraddha Walkar case and told his former paramour that belonging to a different community stands in their way as did their age gap. During interrogation, Sheezan further revealed that Tunisha had earlier also attempted suicide after they broke up. “Tunisha had recently tried to commit suicide a few days before her death, but at that time I saved her and told Tunisha’s mother to take special care of her,” police sources quoted Sheezan as saying.

Tunisha and Sheezan broke up a fortnight before she was found dead inside a toilet in a TV shoot set on December 24.

On Sunday, a court in Vasai, Maharashtra, sent actor Sheezan Khan to police custody for four days in connection with Tunisha Sharma’s alleged suicide case.

Waliv police produced Khan in the court after his arrest in the case for abetment to suicide. The case was registered against him under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code.

Tunisha was found dead on the sets of a TV serial on December 24, according to Waliv Police. They received information that after a tea break, the actress went to the toilet and when she did not come back, the police broke the door open and found her hanging.

No suicide note was recovered at the spot by police.

The police have said the reason behind Tunisha’s alleged extreme step that ended her life could be her breakup with Sheezan over a fortnight back.

The First Information Report, or FIR, of the case, revealed that the two actors were in a relationship, and had broken up 15 days ago. Tunisha Sharma was reportedly under stress, and it is suspected that’s what drove her to the edge, said the Mumbai police.

The police have sent the mobile phones of both Tunisha and Sheezan to the forensic lab, so that the calls and chats between the two can be retrieved to understand what happened between the duo and what drove Tunisha to death after 15 days of breakup,” police sources said.

According to the initial probe, Tunisha had left her house happily on Saturday morning to go to the serial set.

After the first shift shoot was over, Sheejan Khan and Tunisha were in the make-up room, both of them went to lunch as usual, the police said.

However, Tunisha did not have lunch on the day of her demise and after Sheejan finished lunch, both of them started their work, Sheezan went to shoot on the set and Tunisha went to the makeup room.

When Tunisha Sharma did not come back after her tea break, people started looking for her.

The police are now probing the reason behind her alleged suicide.

Notably, police have recorded statements from Tunisha’s mother Vanita Sharma, and her maternal uncle.

“Family members are in shock after this incident. Tunisha used to live with her mother in the Indraprastha building on Meera Road. She used to bear all the expenses of the family, but now she is no more. Whoever is the accused should be punished,” Tunisha’s uncle said.