MUMBAI/PUNE: As Indian and US investigators dug deeper into the David Headley case, some Bollywood stars who had reportedly interacted with the American terror suspect during his stay here in 2007-2009 are likely to be questioned.
India's National Investigation Agency(NIA) might record statements of actors Emraan Hashmi and Aarti Chhabria who reportedly had come in contact with Headley, sources said.
The NIA move came even as Mumbai-based gym instructor Vilas Varak said he was instrumental in introducing filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt's son Rahul to Headley and that he had informed police about Headley, a Lashkar-e-Taiba(LeT) operative.
About his link with Headley, Vilas said, "I never went to meet Headley...he came to me." He claimed he has now lost his job at 'Moksha' gymnasium at Napean Sea Road where he was working for eight years because of the Headley affair.
In Pune, police said Headley had stayed at hotel 'Surya Villa' near Osho Ashram on March 16 during his visit to the city this year. The hotel manager was also questioned.
It was through Rahul that Headley established contacts with some Bollywood figures, sources said, adding NIA has been recording the statements of persons with whom the terror suspect had interacted during his stay in city. Police said Rahul is a witness in the case.
When contacted, actor Hashmi stated through a text message, "All questions regarding the case should be directed to the NIA."
Chhabria's lawyer Hitesh Jain denied his client's links with Headley. "There is absolutely no connection whatsoever between Chhabria and Headley. This is a mischievous and malicious rumour alleging links between the two," Jain said.