Mantralaya suicide baffles cops

The Cuffe Parade police station, which is looking into the case, had scant details on Singh’s antecedents. Preliminary investigations revealed that Singh hailed from Takapari village in Jaunpur district, Uttar Pradesh. He migrated to a village called Ullalkedi in Chitradurg district of Karnataka when he was ten.

Police sub-inspector Kishore Gharte said on Wednesday that the police found a half-empty packet of rat poison tablets on Singh, and believe that he had consumed around five of the tablets.

The police said Singh had come from Karnataka toMumbai a few days ago to obtain a freedom fighter’s certificate claiming that he was jailed by the Britishers for participating in the freedom struggle in 1944-45. However, he was appalled by the indifference of the government officials, which probably frustrated him and led to his committing suicide, added sources.

According to Dr D G Biradar, RMO at the St George’s Hospital, Singh died at 7.15 pm on Monday after efforts to detoxify him failed. "The poison, an organo-phosphourous compound spreads rapidly," he said, explaining why despite being brought into the hospital by 1 pm, Singh died by late evening.

Hospital sources said that senior police officers accompanied Singh who seemed quite fit and was able to walk about when brought for admission.

No relatives have come to claim Singh’s body, informed the doctor, who kept referring to the case as the "freedom fighter’s" case. A post mortem report is awaited while a report on chemical analysis of the patient’s viscera, sent to the forensic laboratory atKalina, Santa Cruz, is not expected for at least another month.

The RMO stated that if claimants to Singh’s body failed to come in the next five days, the police will be asked to dispose of the body. Meanwhile, the Cuffe Parade Police are investigating into the "freedom fighter" angle.