That night at 7, Safdarjung Rd | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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That night at 7, Safdarjung Rd

None | ByPankaj Vohra, New Delhi
Jun 05, 2006 12:56 AM IST

In the main bungalow of Pramod Mahajan's official residence at 7, Safdarjung Road, his son Rahul Mahajan and aide Vivek Moitra reportedly had champagne and drugs -- regularly.

In the main bungalow of Pramod Mahajan's official residence at 7, Safdarjung Road, his son Rahul Mahajan and aide Vivek Moitra reportedly had champagne and drugs -- regularly. The hideout was often the plush bathroom. Two employees of the Mahajan household - driver Anil and cook Shankar - have told the police that Rahul would often sip his champagne in the Jacuzzi while Moitra would sit on a chair nearby. The evening of June 1 was no different.

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Rahul and Moitra later joined the small party in the TV room where Sahil Zarru, Karan Ahuja and Rahul Malhotra were waiting. Sources said Rahul was in an inebriated state when he entered the room. He told Moitra that he had had too much and had thrown up. At this stage, Rahul Malhotra got up and left. It was 10.30 p.m.

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Soon, Moitra asked Sahil to fetch the substance. Sahil left with Karan and on the way he contacted Trishay Khanna who was at PVR Saket, watching a movie with his girlfriend. Sahil dropped Karan and picked up Trishay. The two are supposed to have procured drugs from some Nigerians who are now being questioned.

Back in the house, Moitra, Rahul and Sahil took the substance --- which as per CFSL report is heroin. Sahil fell sick and left the place with Trishay. The employees of the Mahajan household found Moitra and Rahul lying unconscious and informed Harish Sharma, who had also been Pramod's aide. Anil and Shankar reportedly assisted Sharma to take Rahul and Moitra to the hospital.

They were driven to Apollo -- and not the nearby AIIMS or Safdarjung -- possibly because Sharma had already spoken to someone there.  Sources said while the sequence of events from 10.30 p m. to 1.30 a.m. are more or less clear, there is ambiguity regarding what happened between 1.30 a.m. and the time they reached the hospital.  The police are trying to reconstruct the movement of Rahul and Moitra on June 1 and are scrutinising the people they had spoken to that day. The police are watching one Gaurav - said to be a family friend.

The police will also summon Dr Anupam Sibal of Apollo. The investigating agency has found the doctors holding a press conference "unusual'' and is likely to seize all records.

Instructions have also been given to Apollo Hospital not to allow Harish Sharma to maintain any contact through the hospital intercom with Rahul or members of the Mahajan family till his statement is recorded. He had got himself admitted to the hospital for a ``routine check up''.  The cause of Moitra's death has not yet been determined officially by the AIIMS doctors who conducted the postmortem. They are waiting for more reports.

A senior official said the death might have been due to an overdose. Efforts are also being made to ascertain whether Rahul Mahajan had a history of drug abuse.

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