KOLKATA: Actor and model Arya Banerjee, who has starred in films like ‘Love, Sex Aur Dhokha’ and ‘The Dirty Picture’, was found dead inside her second floor residence at the upscale Jodhpur Park locality on Friday morning under mysterious circumstances.
Arya (40), originally Devdutta Banerjee, is the younger daughter of late sitarist Pt Nikhil Banerjee. She was found lying in her bedroom, face down with blood and vomit oozing from her nose and mouth. The house, though, was locked from inside, said joint CP (crime) Murlidhar Sharma.
A forensic team that spent over an hour at the residence ruled out foul play. “We have found different forms of alcohol and gutkha packets in her room. There were several tissue papers with blood stains suggesting she might have bled even in the past. She was also on medication. We believe that she suffered a stroke in the night or on Friday morning and was in severe pain. In an effort to get help, she moved off the bed and fell down,” said a forensic expert adding that Arya — who mostly ordered food through app services — had not touched her dinner.
Police said that she was also facing financial issues. “Her maid is yet to get her November salary which is usually settled by the first week. the house too needed some urgent repairs,” said a source. The police said that the actor’s Rottweiler dog has been removed by a pet organization at the request of Lake police.
According to police and local sources, Arya’s maid Chandana Saha had called her up several times on Friday morning. But her phone was found switched off. Neighbours told cops that they had seen Arya at the second floor balcony on Friday morning. “I rang the bell several times but there was no answer. I called neighbours after I waited for a long time,” said Saha.
Saha said Arya spoke to her last on Thursday. “I have never seen any of her friends at the house,” she said. Her neighbours told TOI that she hardly socialized or spoke to anyone. “I knew her well as she came to my mother for tuitions. But she liked staying alone,” said neighbour Aditya Chakraborty.
The cops claimed they have come to know from neighbours that there was some consultations in her extended family of promoting the flat. However, it did not go through. “Unless someone in the family confirms the same, there is no point beating around the bush. This might be one of the several angles of the probe. we are going through her call lists. it will help ascertain if she tried calling for any help,” said an officer.
Arya was just six when her father passed away on her birthday on January 27, 1986.
Pt Anindo Chatterjee, who used to regularly accompany her father on tabla, said he was shocked at the news of her unnatural death. “She was born in 1980 and I first saw her when she was just ten days old. It is so shocking to hear this news. I would go to this 346 Jodhpur Park residence for rehearsals with her father,” he said.