Mumbai Police sends cloth used in Sushant Singh Rajput's death to forensic lab for 'tensile strength' test

As part of the probe into the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, Mumbai Police have sent the cloth, allegedly used in the suicide, to a forensic lab for “tensile strength” analysis to determine whether it can bear the weight similar to that of the late actor, an official said on Friday. “The test will help determine if there was any foul play,” he said. Rajput died by suicide on 14 June at his Bandra residence. No suicide note was found from the spot, the police had said then. “Besides the viscera from the actor’s body, the police also sent the gown for chemical and forensic analysis at the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in suburban Kalina,” the official said. “It will take at least three more days to get the final forensic report,” the official said. “To ascertain the exact cause of death, forensic experts will check the pattern of ligature marks around the actor’s neck, and also determine the strength of the gown with the help of ’tensile strength’ analysis.” [caption id=“attachment_8487741” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Sushant Singh Rajput. File image[/caption] The tensile strength test will technically establish whether the cloth can bear around 80 kg, the weight of the actor. The test will help determine if there was any foul play, the official said. Tensile strength is the maximum load that a material can support without fracture when being stretched. Viscera analysis will help in checking whether there were any traces of chemical, poisonous, or narcotics substance in his body, the official said. “Usually, it takes eight to ten working days to get a report from the FSL in regular cases. But since this case is sensitive, experts are taking more precautions to avoid any kind of error in their analysis,” the official said. The forensic report of the actor’s mobile phone is also awaited, he said. Recently, the police received the final postmortem report of the actor from Cooper Hospital, which mentioned the cause of death as “asphyxia due to hanging.” Meanwhile, the Bandra police have summoned film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali to record his statement in connection with the case on 6 July, the official said. As per reports, Bhansali had offered films to Rajput, but owing to date issues, things did not work out between them as the actor had signed a contract with a big production house. “The police, who are probing angle of possible professional rivalry in the case, will enquire about reasons behind the actor’s depression,” he said. The police have so far recorded statements of 29 people, including Rajput’s family members, his close friends like actor Rhea Chakraborty, casting director Mukesh Chhabra, Yash Raj Films casting director Shanoo Sharma, and actor Sanjana Sanghi, who was the actor’s co-star in her debut film Dil Bechara. Rajput, who had started his acting career from TV, starred in films such as Shuddh Desi Romance, Raabta, Chhichhore, Kedarnath, and Sonchiriya. But his most prominent role came as popular cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the biopic MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. (With inputs from Press Trust of India) * A collection of Suicide prevention helpline numbers are  available here. Please reach out if you or anyone you know is in need of support. The All-India helpline number is: 022 2754 6669