Murder, She Wrote

Among the prime suspects for the crime: Vivek and Ketan Anand, sons of Rajvansh8217;s long-time companion, film director Chetan Anand who died in 1997, domestic help Mala and her relative Ashokan. A year later, on July 31, 2002, the sessions court convicted the four for life after a month-long trial; they have subsequently appealed .

The trial saw more than 40 people deposing at the court to get justice for 8216;Queen Victoria8217;, as Rajvansh was fondly called in her circle for her British ways.

Recalls close friend and producer Shanu Mehra, who8217;s currently working on a serial on Rajvansh8217;s life: 8216;8216;She was afraid of Vivek and Ketan. A month before her death, she had requested the brothers to come to an early decision over the sale of the property that their father had left in his will. The murder was their way of getting rid of her.8217;8217;

THE property alleged to be the motive of the crime was Chetan Anand8217;s bungalow in Juhu, one-third of the sale proceeds of which were bequeathed to Rajvansh in his will. Besides the bungalow, Anand also left Rajvansh8212;always his favourite heroine after he discovered her in a London drama school8212;her a famous Raza painting, a diamond ring and a car.

After Anand8217;s death, Rajvansh, say her friends, lived a solitary life in her apartment in Mangal Kiran, Juhu, Mumbai. Her daily visits to the Anand bungalow was restricted to lunch and dinners, not to forget an almost-commemorative evening drink in the bungalow8217;s lawns in honour of her late companion.

According to her associates, Rajvansh8217;s only source of income was the interest on her fixed deposits. This was the reason she was pressing for the early sale of the Anand bungalow: Her one-third share of the proceeds would entitle her to Rs 2 crore by 2000 property rates.

ON March 27, 2000, Rajvansh had been invited to dine with the Bhavnagar maharaj, who lived three doors away from the Anand bungalow. She had had her evening drink and was visiting the bathroom in preparation for going out when she was strangled by Mala and Ashokan. Post-mortem examinations confirmed death due to strangulation and injury substantiated by ligature marks.

Rajvansh8217;s doctor Ramesh Agarwal was called in by neighbours almost immediately after the incident. 8216;8216;The Anand brothers tried to pressure me into giving a death certificate, but I refused because her body bore all the signs of an unnatural death. The brothers tried to claim she had had a heart attack, but I found that hard to believe since I knew her medical history,8217;8217; he says.

According to eye-witnesses, her body was contorted in a peculiar position on the bed when they visited the house. It appeared that the body had been lifted up and dumped on the bed after death.

DURING the trial, it was the deposition of 15-year-old Suresh Armogam, a relative of the maid Mala, which nailed the culprits. He told the court that he had overheard Vivek, Ketan and Mala plotting the murder three days prior to the crime and even that Ashokan had told him that he had been brought in to kill Rajvansh.

He described the sequence of events thus: On Mala8217;s orders, he switched off the main light switches the moment Rajvansh entered the bathroom. Ashokan was reportedly already inside. Mala stepped in too, after which Rajvansh screamed 8216;8216;Bachao, bachao8217;8217;.

After the lights came back on, said Suresh, he saw Ashok and Mala leave the house. The Anand brothers, who were in another room of the house the entire time.

THE defence could not prove that the Anand brothers were not in the house during the act; this contributed greatly to their conviction. The prosecution also pointed that the crime could only have been committed by someone who knew her routine very well.

The Anand brothers subsequently moved High Court. The case is expected to come up sometime soon.