69-year-old man jumps to death from terrace to avoid arrest in Delhi’s Vasant Vihar

With police on the trail, the Delhi-based financer locked himself in his son’s house for around 25 minutes and jumped down from the terrace.

A 69-year-old city-based financer died after allegedly jumping from the terrace of his son’s house in Vasant Vihar on Monday to avoid a police team that was about to arrest him in a cheating case.

A police team had reached the house in Vasant Vihar, E block, after receiving a tip off that Virender Dhingra had come to meet his son. (Sourced image)

Senior Delhi police officials said that a suicide note was recovered from the man, in which he had mentioned that he had to return someone’s money and that he was in stress.

The family members of the man, however, alleged foul play. They alleged that he may have been murdered.

According to the police, on Monday afternoon, a police team reached the house in Vasant Vihar E block, after receiving a tip off that a man, Virender Dhingra, wanted in a case of cheating registered in CR Park police station, had come to meet his son.

“On receiving the input, a police team reached and house and spotted Dhingra. As soon as he saw the police, he rushed upstairs. There he locked himself in the employees’ quarters for around 25 minutes and jumped down from the adjoining terrace,” said a senior police officer.

Police said they will verify the handwriting of the suicide note.

Dhingra’s son Sanjeev, however, termed the death as murder. “I got a call that my father has been murdered. Our lawyers and police are looking into the matter. It is a murder case and I cannot say anything more at the moment,” he said.

A senior officer said the matter is being probed from all possible angles, adding that no such suspicion has surfaced in the police probe so far.

On April 25, a similar case was reported from the Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) office in Lodhi Colony. A 40-year-old jeweller then had jumped to his death from the sixth floor of the DRI office. The victim then, Gaurav Gupta, had been summoned to the DRI office in a purpoted gold smuggling case. The Delhi High Court later issued a notice to the DRI over the death.