Sonika Chauhan death case: Actor Vikram Chatterjee arrested from his residence by Kolkata Police

Vikram Chatterjee

Kolkata: Actor Vikram Chatterjee, who is facing a culpable homicide charge for the car crash in which model and TV anchor Sonika Chauhan was killed, was arrested on Thursday night. Chatterjee was absconding after the police had charged him in the case. According to news agency PTI, the television and film actor was arrested after Kolkata Police personnel intercepted a cab outside Acropolis Mall on Rashbehari Avenue connector in south Kolkata midnight last night. He was arrested from his Kasba residence. ALSO READ: Trouble mounts for Lalu: CBI raids 12 locations over IRCTC hotels' tender irregularities  Chatterjee had earlier been charged with causing death due to rash and negligent driving. Chatterjee has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, which can lead to a maximum punishment of 10 years in jail. Calcutta police sources told newspaper The Telegraph that a special investigation team of officers of the south division arrested Chatterjee minutes past midnight. Vikram was driving Sonika home in his Toyota Corolla Altis early on April 29 when the car crashed on Rashbehari Avenue, leaving the model dead. The actor had initially been charged under IPC sections 279 (rash and negligent driving) and 304A (causing death due to negligence). He surrendered before the chief judicial magistrate in the Alipore court on May 5 and was immediately granted bail. The police later replaced "causing death due to negligence" with "culpable homicide not amounting to murder (IPC Section 304)". The maximum punishment under Section 304A is two years in jail. Under Section 304, it's 10 year's imprisonment. The actor moved the high court seeking anticipatory bail on June 5, five days after the fresh charge was slapped on him. In his petition, he had cited his "good post-bail conduct" as one of the primary reasons why he thought he should be granted the arrest shield. A Lalbazar source said Vikram had changed his statements on the events leading to the accident at least four times. "First, he told doctors at Ruby hospital (where he was taken after the accident) that a second car had triggered the crash. Then he said at a news conference he was neither speeding nor drunk. In front of the police he contradicted himself, saying he had consumed alcohol but did not specify the quantity. He did not say anything to the cops about the second vehicle and maintained that he was in the dark about what caused the accident," the source said. (With additional information from The Telegraph,Calcutta)