Crime Branch questions former Gurugram DCP on suicide of real estate developer

The deceased, 59-year-old Vinod Sharma, was the managing director of Lakshmi Infra Buildcon Private Limited.

To probe the allegation of abetment of suicide in the death of a city-based real estate developer in July, a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the State crime branch, Haryana, on Wednesday recorded the statement of at least four people, including a senior police official, who was posted as a deputy commissioner of police (DCP) in Gurugram at the time of the incident but is no more in the post.

Relatives and friends of property dealer Vinod Sharma took out a candle light march demanding that the probe be transferred to the CBI. The case was later handed over to the crime branch. (Parveen Kumar/HT File)

A senior police officer privy to the investigation and requesting anonymity, said that the DCP, whose identity has been withheld, was asked to join the probe and recorded his statement at the state crime branch office in Sector 51 on Wednesday afternoon.

“The statements of victim’s wife Meenu Sharma, witnesses from her side, and the DCP were recorded to probe the allegations of the complainant and corroborate facts,” the officer said.

“As per the statements, the deceased and the DCP were friends. Police are yet to ascertain whether they were just friends or partners in business dealings,” the officer added. The officer said that police will examine the bank account details of the people involved in the case in order to get a better picture.

The deceased, 59-year-old Vinod Sharma, was the managing director of Lakshmi Infra Buildcon Private Limited. He had allegedly fired two shots to his chest in his office on July 4. On July 7, he succumbed to injuries at a private hospital.

After the incident, Sharma’s wife Meenu had alleged that an officer of the rank of DCP was responsible for abetting her husband’s suicide.She claimed he had been pressuring him regarding a financial deal.

Meenu had alleged that on July 2, two days before the incident, the police official had visited her husband’s office in Florence Villa, Sector 57, along with three associates and pressured him to deposit ₹50 lakh to settle a property deal by July 4.

Alleging police inaction, the victim’s family had taken out a candle light march and approached the commissioner of police Gurugram office, demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) . The case was subsequently transferred to the state crime branch.

On Wednesday, Meenu said she narrated the sequence of events when the police officer visited her husband’s office and added that all the statements were video-graphed.

Police had booked a Delhi-based businessman for abetment to suicide, based on a “dying declaration” in which the victim had said that he was taking the extreme step as he was tired of the legal tussle over the last six years. He blamed the Delhi businessman and his family for his death.

“My soul will not be at peace till they do not get the harshest punishment. My request is that my family, friends or any office staff should not be hassled or called for questioning. I also request that no post-mortem examination be conducted on my body,” the victim allegedly wrote in a ‘suicide note’ recovered by the police.