NRI student found dead: Suicide theory gains ground

The broken base of the knife found stuck in NRI student Keanan Mehra’s neck has created fresh confusion about his mysterious death, says the police.

The broken base of the knife found stuck in NRI student Keanan Mehra’s neck has created fresh confusion about his mysterious death, police said.

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Mehra, a resident of Norwalk City near Los Angeles, was on Monday found in a pool of blood at his

Hudson Lines home near the Delhi University north campus, where he moved in recently to pursue MA in Philosophy.

Despite registering a murder case, police were exploring the possibility that the 22-year-old boy could have committed suicide. The crime scene investigation, however, threw up contradictory evidence, said an officer.

“It is clear that he died of the stab injury in his neck. What baffles us is that the knife was broken, with the top half stuck in his neck and the remaining part lying next to his body. Could it be possible that the knife broke due to the impact?” said an officer.

Mehra’s body was found in the lobby just inside the apartment door on Monday, with blood splattered in the adjoining bathroom and a living room, said an officer, and he seemed to have died a day earlier.

Two doors on Mehra's terrace apartments were locked from inside, casting more doubt about the murder theory. “We are exploring all angles,” said a senior police officer.

His father Achal Mehra, who edits an Indian diaspora magazine in the US, was expected to reach Delhi late Tuesday, police said.