Indian politician says Bollywood actress Sridevi who died in Dubai was murdered

A senior politician has claimed Bollywood superstar Sridevi Kapoor, who drowned in her bathtub in a Dubai hotel last week, was murdered.

Subramanian Swamy, leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party - one of the two major political parties in India - questioned how Mrs Kapoor, who he claims never drank, had ended up with alcohol in her system.

The 54-year-old's funeral is set to be held in Mumbai tomorrow, as her body is being flown back to India accompanied by her husband and step-son.

The Dubai police closed the investigation on Tuesday, but Mr Swamy claims there are unanswered questions. 

'She never drank hard liquor, so how did it enter her system? Was she forcibly fed? What happened to the CCTV, we have not heard a word about that,' he said according to Times of India.

'If you ask my opinion I'll tell you that I think it's murder.' 

Mr Swamy claimed there may have been links to an underworld criminal who he said has links to 'cinema actresses'.

Yesterday, police interviewed her husband , Bollywood producer Boney Kapoor and also quizzed hotel staff at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers after deciding to 're-investigate' the case in the wake of the coroner's report.

Mr Kapoor was called in to Bur Dubai police station on Monday where officers took a statement before allowing him to return to his hotel room, Gulf News reports.   

It had initially been reported that Sridevi had died of a heart attack, but the death certificate made no mention of cardiac arrest, instead putting cause of death to accidental drowning after losing consciousness. 

However, following the interview, the case was closed and Mrs Kapoor's body released to the family.

Mr Kapoor was 'inconsolable' and 'crying like a baby' when a friend of the couple reached the hotel shortly after Sridevi's death.

Actor Adnan Siddiqui - who had attended the same wedding and also co-starred with Sridevi in her final film - was among the first few people to see Mr Kapoor after she was found.

'I got a call from a journalist at around 11 pm asking if the news about Sridevi's death was true. I immediately called up Boney and rushed to him,' Siddiqui told NDTV. 

'Boney was crying like a baby; he was inconsolable. I was with him until 5 am.

'I can't believe that I met her four days ago and now, she is no more'.  

The family put out a statement later on Tuesday, saying: 'Khushi, Janhvi, Boney Kapoor and the entire Kapoor and Ayyappan families are deeply bereaved and shocked with the untimely loss of Sridevi Kapoor. 

'Late Sridevi Kapoor passed away in Dubai, UAE, on Saturday February 24th.' 

There have been conflicting reports as to how she was found, with some Indian newspapers reporting that Sridevi's body was found by her husband. and others that she was discovered in the bath by hotel staff. 

Kapoor was the last person to see her alive after he reportedly invited her out for dinner before she went to the bathroom to freshen up.

He had initially flown back to India after the wedding but returned to the Jumeirah Emirates Towers hotel where she was staying on Saturday. 

He arrived at the hotel around 5.30pm according to sources close to the family who spoke with local news outlet Khaleej Times. 

Culled From Daily Mail UK.