Suicide by ex-officer facing CBI probe, son

Barely two months after his wife and daughter allegedly committed suicide, former director-general of corporate affairs B.K. Bansal, who was facing a CBI probe in a corruption case, and his son Yogesh were found hanging from the ceiling fans at their Nilkanth Apartments flat in East Delhi on Tuesday.

Their bodies were found in different rooms of the flat and they had also left suicide notes, said DCP (East) Rishi Pal. The former DG and Yogesh took their lives two months after Bansal’s wife Satyabala, 58, and daughter Neha, 28, allegedly hanged themselves from ceiling fans at their flat after leaving separate suicide notes. “Two separate suicide notes were recovered. They said that the CBI raid caused them great humiliation in the society and they did not want to live any more. Bansal and Yogesh have named some CBI officials in their suicide notes and alleged harassment by CBI officials. The suicide notes will be sent to the CBI. No case has been filed in this regard,” the DCP (East) said. The DCP added no case of abetment to suicide had been filed against any person in the case so far, but an investigation had been ordered. If needed, action will be taken, he said. Inquest proceedings under Section 174 CrPC has been initiated, and the bodies had been sent for post-mortem, he said. The CBI said in a statement it was “deeply saddened”. “We are deeply saddened to know the unfortunate demise of B.K. Bansal and his son today. The matter is being looked into by the local police,” CBI spokesman R.K. Gaur said. He said Bansal was an accused in a bribery case in which he was arrested on July 16, 2016. “The case is under investigation. Further, the son of Bansal was neither an accused nor was he summoned by the CBI in the ongoing bribery investigation,” Mr Gaur said.

Bansal was a director-general in the corporate affairs ministry when he was arrested in July on charges of accepting '9 lakhs as a bribe from a Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company that wanted to buy its way out of an investigation. Following his arrest, Bansal was granted interim bail from July 20 to August 21, and thereafter he was granted regular bail on August 30, the CBI said. The CBI said it found a huge amount in cash, 20 property papers and details of 60 bank accounts at the official’s home. Even on Monday, the Bansals had spent hours at the CBI office, which had become routine, according to neighbours. The tragic replay of unnatural deaths at East Delhi’s Neelkanth Apartments surfaced when the family’s maid entered the flat at 8.50 am Tuesday. “The maid entered the flat at 8.50 am, and after cleaning the living room, when she went to clean Bansal’s room, she found him hanging from the fan. She immediately rushed to Yogesh’s room and she found him also hanging from the fan. She then rushed downstairs and informed the security guards,” the DCP (East) said. The police reached the flat at 9.10 am and found that Bansal and his son had hanged themselves with a rope from the ceiling fan. The bodies were taken down and sent for the post-mortem at Lal Bahadur Hospital, the police said.

The maid, Rachna, told the police that she had overheard Bansal telling someone that Yogesh had been called for questioning on Tuesday. He also told her the main door would be left open. “Bansal told her that when she comes to work the next morning, the door will be open, and they would sleep late as they had to go for CBI questioning,” the police said.