June 12: Police are looking for and apparently not being able to contact actor Vikram Chatterjee, who has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder in connection with model Sonika Singh Chauhan's death in a car crash.

Sources said the sleuths were yet to collect the actor's personal contact number even 44 days after the fatal accident and their only point of contact in the family was Vikram's father Bijay Chatterjee.

The accused had apparently requested the cops, when he was questioned at Tollygunge police station on May 9, to communicate with him through his father.

The sources said the sleuths had last week asked Bijay for Vikram's cell phone number but he claimed his son was not using any phone and was not in touch with him.

"We need to question him on certain points in the light of some fresh leads. We tried to contact him through his father but he said Vikram was neither in touch with him nor using a cell phone," an officer said.

When asked whether he was the medium of communication between his son and the police, Bijay told Metro: "Yes. But I will not say anything related to the case now. I will speak at the right time."

He did not take any more questions.

Lawyer Rajdeep Majumdar, who is representing Vikram, said the actor was not absconding. "He is not prevented from going anywhere as he has got bail and filed a petition for anticipatory bail. If the police are unable to contact him, they can visit his house," Majumdar said.

Police officers not involved in the case said it was unusual to grant an accused the privilege of "keeping a distance" from the sleuths.

"These days mobile phones are used to track down an accused. So, when an accused or someone in the family claims he is not using any cell phone, there is obviously an attempt to keep the police off the radar," a senior IPS officer not attached to the case said.

Sources close to Vikram said he had not been spotted at his Swinhoe Lane house over the past few days, raising suspicions that he was evading arrest.

According to criminal lawyers, the father of an adult accused does not have any locus standi in the case.

"Had the accused been a minor, it would have been normal for the police to be in touch with the father or any other legal guardian. In this case, if Vikram Chatterjee or his family members are not sharing his whereabouts with the police, then it should be treated as a case of non-cooperation," said lawyer Sk. Salim Rahman, who is not involved in the case.

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.

Though Vikram's petition for anticipatory bail is pending, there is no bar on his arrest on the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.