Rajya Sabha TV journo killed self, claim cops

In a complete turnaround, the Ghaziabad Police crime branch on Wednesday termed the death of TV journalist Milita Dutt Mandal as a case of suicide.

In a complete turnaround, the Ghaziabad Police crime branch on Wednesday termed the death of TV journalist Milita Dutt Mandal as a case of suicide.

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The police have based their latest declaration on a suicide note that they had apparently recovered from Mandal’s car — a red Hyundai that they found parked in the basement — on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old journalist, who was working with Rajya Sabha TV, had mysteriously fallen to her death from the balcony of her eighth floor flat at a housing society in Vaishali on July 21 night.

According to a crime branch officer, they had received a copy of the post-mortem report of Mandal that stated that she had a fractured skull and several broken bones in her body.

Along with the post-mortem report, the police had been handed over some personal belongings of Mandal that included the keys of her car. The suicide note was recovered from the vehicle during a search.

“In her suicide note, she had begged for forgiveness from her family members for taking the extreme step. We have sent the suicide note for forensic examination in Agra. The investigation has not been closed,” said Rajesh Dwivedi, inspector crime branch.

On July 28, six family members including Mandal’s husband Surya Jyoti Mandal had recorded their statements before the police.