The family of Kalwa couple Swapnil and Sai Nikte have said that they could not have attempted suicide and that the incident was an accident. They said Swapnil and Sai were very happy. While Sai died, Swapnil, who fractured his legs and has a severe wound to his head, is unconscious and in the ICU of Jupiter Hospital in Thane.

PI Prakash Nilewad, Kalwa police station, said prima facie it appeared like the couple attempted suicide. But Swapnil’s parents told the police the two had asked for permission to go to the terrace and had been cracking jokes on their way up. Also, some children who were flying kites on another building terrace saw the couple laughing. “But, there are unanswered questions about why they climbed atop the water tank? How did they fall through the building duct? Only Swapnil can answer these questions once he regains consciousness,” Nilewad said.

Nikte, 30, is an engineer at a Navi Mumbai firm. Sai, who had finished her Diploma in Education, was looking for a job.