Mahesh Bhatt denies son restrained from leaving Mumbai

Mumbai Nov 16 (IANS) Film-maker Mahesh Bhatt Monday categorically denied reports suggesting that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has restrained his son Rahul from leaving the city.

'Who has said this? I spoke to Joint Police Commissioner (Crime) Rakesh Maria and he said that there is no such thing as is being made out in a section of the media since yesterday,' an enraged Bhatt told IANS Monday evening.

He accused certain media persons of spreading 'utter falsehoods, fiction, fantasy and sheer nonsense' in the name of investigative reporting.

Bhatt said when his son was fully cooperating with the investigators, where was the question of anybody attempting to curb his fundamental rights, especially when he could be a probable witness in the case?

'But here I am, spending the whole day answering to the same queries by mediapersons from all over the country,' said Bhatt.

Bhatt's son has been under the scanner of the investigating agencies since last week in the ongoing probe into the Mumbai connections of two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) activists, David Colemn Headley and his accomplice Tahawwur Hussain Rana, who have been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the US.

Following media reports on the duo, Rahul had voluntarily approached the city police with information that he was acquainted with Headley, and how he had wanted to rent a flat in Mumbai.

A realty consultant from Bandra, Sunny Singh had said that he was approached by Headley to hire out a flat in Pali Hill, Bandra.