Finally, Sridevi's body handed over to family

'Case closed,' Dubai public prosecution says about Sridevi's death.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Sridevi/ Instagram

The Dubai public prosecutor's office has closed the investigation into Sridevi's death and cited the forensic report to say she accidentally drowned following a loss of consciousness.

According to local media reports, the family has taken custody of the body and given it for embalming.

The Dubai media office, the Dubai government's official Twitter handle, in a series of tweets said the decision to release the body was taken after thorough investigation.

'Dubai Public Prosecution has approved the release of the body of the Indian actress Sridevi to her family following the completion of a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of her death,' it said.

'Dubai Public Prosecution stressed that all regular procedures followed in such cases have been completed. As per the forensic report, the death of the Indian actress occurred due to accidental drowning following loss of consciousness. The case has now been closed.'

Photograph: Pradeep Bandekar

Earlier in the day, Arjun Kapoor -- Boney Kapoor's son -- had taken a flight to Dubai to be with his father as he wrapped up the formalities to bring Sridevi home to Mumbai.

'Arjun has gone to Dubai this morning to be with his father at the hotel while the formalities are being wrapped up and to oversee the return journey,' a statement from the family in Mumbai said.

The Dubai police Twitter handle said Sridevi drowned in the hotel bathtub after she lost consciousness.

A forensic report circulated on various media outlets used the term 'accidental drowning' as the cause of her death.

The 54-year-old actor passed away in her hotel room in the Jumeirah Emirates Towers late on Saturday.

The Dubai police tweeted it had transferred the case to the Dubai public prosecution which will carry out the legal procedures followed in such cases.

'Following the completion of post-mortem analysis, Dubai police headquarters stated that Sridevi's death occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartment's bathtub following loss of consciousness,' it said.

The police recorded the statement of her film-maker husband Boney Kapoor who reportedly discovered Sridevi unconscious in a bathtub filled with water. She was taken to a hospital where she was declared dead on arrival.

The Dubai-based Gulf News newspaper alleged that the actor was under the influence of alcohol.

Gulf News also posted a copy of the UAE government's forensic report on its Twitter handle.

The report, citing accidental drowning as the cause of death, has a stamp of the 'Ministry of Health UAE' and the director of preventive medicine, Dubai, Dr Sami Wadie.

The report mentioned the actor's full name, Sreedevi Boney Kapoor Ayyappan, her passport number, date of the incident (February 24, 2018) and the cause of death.

India's Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Navdeep Singh Puri earlier asked the public not to speculate about the cause of Sridevi's death.

'We are in regular contact with the family of #Sridevi and other well-wishers. We share their pain,' Ambassador Puri tweeted.

'Our experience in similar cases tells us that it does take 2-3 days to complete processes. We leave it to the experts to determine cause of demise. Let's be responsible,' the diplomat said.

Sridevi was in Dubai for a family wedding and had stayed back after the ceremonies.

Her husband had flown back to India with their younger daughter Khushi, but returned to Dubai to surprise her.

The news of her death, first reported at around 3 am IST on Sunday, sent shock waves across India and the world with those who knew her at a loss to explain how the star, who was present at several wedding functions in Dubai last week, could suddenly breathe her last.