Actor and model Shefali Jariwala, best known for her appearance in the 2002 music video Kaanta Laga, died on Friday, June 27. She was 42.
While the exact cause of death is yet to be confirmed, preliminary medical findings suggest cardiac arrest. Sources close to the development told NDTV that the Police in Amboli have stated that the final post-mortem and forensic reports are expected within a week.
A police official said that prima facie, there is no indication of foul play and her family also does not suspect anything suspicious.
The post-mortem was conducted at Cooper Hospital and recorded on video. "She was brought to the hospital around 11:15 pm (Friday). The on-duty doctor declared her dead on arrival," a hospital source said.
Initial findings from the medical examination indicate that her death may have been caused by "low blood pressure, cardiac arrest and heavy gastric condition."
According to police, the suspected cardiac arrest may have been triggered by a combination of fasting and the use of unsupervised anti-ageing medication.
Shefali was rushed to Bellevue Multispeciality Hospital in Mumbai by her husband, actor Parag Tyagi. A team of five doctors is currently analysing whether medication, food poisoning or her history of epilepsy may have contributed to the cardiac arrest.
Mumbai Police have said that she ate stale fried rice while fasting and had taken anti-ageing injections without recent medical consultation. During a visit to her residence, police and forensic experts found glutathione injections, Vitamin C shots and acidity pills, raising concerns over prolonged and unsupervised use of such treatments.
A source told NDTV, "There was a puja at home on June 27, due to which Shefali was fasting. Despite this, she took an injection of anti-ageing medicine in the afternoon of the same day. These medicines were advised to her by a doctor years ago, and since then she has been taking this treatment every month. So far in the police investigation, it has come to light that these medicines could be a major reason for cardiac arrest."
Another doctor, who had treated Shefali in the past, told NDTV on condition of anonymity that she had last visited their clinic in March, nearly three months before her death.
The police are currently awaiting reports from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to confirm the exact cause of death.
Who Was Shefali Jariwala?
Shefali Jariwala rose to fame in 2002 with the music video Kaanta Laga, which became a pop culture phenomenon. She later appeared in the 2004 film Mujhse Shaadi Karogi alongside Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar. She was also seen in reality shows like Nach Baliye (Seasons 5 and 7) and Bigg Boss 13.
