The Dubai Police has recorded the statement of Bollywood producer Boney Kapoor, husband of late veteran actress Sridevi who died here of accidental drowning in her hotel bathtub after losing consciousness.

Sources told Gulf News that Boney was called to the Bur Dubai police station for questioning.

The police took his statement after which he was allowed to return to his hotel.

Indian diplomatic officials told Gulf News they were trying their best to get all approvals so that the body was repatriated. However, they did not provide a definite time for the process.

India’s Ambassador to the UAE Navdeep Singh Suri in an earlier interview with the Indian media had said that they had got clearance from Dubai authorities to repatriate the 54-year-old actress’s mortal remains.

However a diplomatic source said that with the new development of the case being referred to the Public Prosecution, the repatriation issue is now open ended.

He added that the Indian Embassy was in talks with the Dubai authorities to get clearance and is hopeful it will happen soon.

“In such accidental death incidents, the results of the post-mortem and forensic examination reports are referred to the Public Prosecution as part of ordinary law enforcement procedures. The papers are revised by the prosecutors of the jurisdiction where the incident happened. An official order to hand over the body of the deceased to the family or relatives is issued shortly after that,” a chief prosecutor told Gulf News.

In case of any suspicious foul play, prosecutors would carry out further detailed investigations and decide on any future law enforcement procedures accordingly, he added.

Dubai Police has transferred the case to Dubai Public Prosecution, which will carry out regular legal procedures followed in such cases, according to the Dubai Media Office.

Initial investigation showed that Sridevi drowned following loss of consciousness in the bathtub of her hotel room.

They found traces of alcohol in her body and this may have led to the accident.

“The investigation is still going on to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident as the forensic report only says that she drowned,” an official said.

The police are trying to piece together the sequence of events and find out who was with her when the incident happened.

Sources have said that the Dubai Police have released the forensic report on Sridevi’s death to her family and the Indian Consulate representative.

The envelope has not been opened. It has been sent to the Bur Dubai police station. Both the representatives have gone to the police station with it. Once opened by Dubai Police, and the information revealed to the family, then the next step for the process of repatriation will be decided.

Dubai Police have confirmed that there will be further delays in repatriating the body of the Indian actress who died in here on Saturday.

Sridevi’s mortal remains are expected to be released later on Tuesday after blood and organ test results are out, Gulf News has learnt.

A forensic source here said that the biopsy of blood and organs is routinely carried out in cases where cause of death is not clearly known.

Adnan Siddiqui, the legend Sridevi’s co-star in her most recent release Mom, was among the first few people to reach her Dubai hotel following the news of her death; says husband Boney Kapoor was inconsolable till the wee hours

Sridevi with husband Boney Kapoor

As the country mourns the loss of its favourite superstar Sridevi, there are speculations surrounding her sudden death in Dubai. mid-day has learnt that Adnan Siddiqui, Sridevi’s Pakistani co-actor from Mom (2017), was one of the first few people to reach the Jumeirah Emirates Tower after learning about her death on Saturday night.

Recounting the ill-fated night, Siddiqui told mid-day, “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 [Kapoor] saab and rushed to him.” The actor says he reached the hotel to find the investigation going on and the room cordoned off. “I got to Jumeirah Emirates at around midnight. Initially, I was not allowed to go upstairs. At the time of the investigation, only Boney saab and Dubai officials were present. So, I waited in the lobby for about an hour.”

Adnan Siddiqui and Boney Kapoor

It was only after the initial rounds of investigations were done that Siddiqui met Kapoor upstairs. “When everything was settled, Boney saab called me upstairs. He was there along with a family friend, his wife and a daughter. Boney saab was crying like a baby; he was inconsolable. I was with him until 5 am. He was under a lot of stress, so I advised him to rest, and then left.”

The Pakistani actor had developed a warm bond with Sridevi and Kapoor while he was shooting with the former for Mom. So disturbed was Sridevi about not being able to meet him after the film’s release, due to the ban on Pakistani artistes after Uri attacks, that she invited him specially for her nephew Mohit Marwah’s wedding in Ras Al-Khaimah.

“When I landed in Dubai at 11 pm last week, I called up Boney saab and asked him if it made sense for me to come at that hour considering the function may have been over. He said, ‘Even if the function gets over, we will wait for you’. So I drove for two hours to Ras Al-Khaimah,” recollected Siddiqui, adding that true to her word, Sridevi was waiting for him. “I can’t believe that I met her four days ago and now, she is no more.”

Also read: Mayank Shekhar: Why Sridevi is larger than life

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