DRI denies demand for money from deceased’s family

New Delhi: Jeweller Gaurav Gupta committed suicide by jumping from his office window two days ago, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) told the Delhi high court on Friday while denying that Rs 1.5 crore was demanded from his family for his release.

The agency denied the allegation levelled by the victim’s family in its status report submitted before Justice Mukta Gupta, pursuant to the court’s direction.

Besides the DRI, the police too filed its status report and said a medical board of six All India Institute of Medical Sciences doctors has been constituted and the autopsy of the 40-year-old jeweller was underway.

The judge, after taking on record the reports filed by the DRI and the police, sought a further status report from the agencies by May 15. The court was hearing the petition filed by Gaurav’s mother, through advocate Vijay Aggarwal, seeking a CBI probe into her son’s death on April 25 alleging that he had died under “suspicious circumstances”.

Gaurav, who was questioned at the DRI office in connection with a purported gold smuggling case, fell from the probe agency’s building in the CGO complex area in south Delhi.

In its status report, filed through advocate Satish Agarwal, the DRI said, “Gaurav was in the visitor’s room on sixth floor around noon on April 25. He jumped through the window of the visitor’s room at around noon. Thoush he was rushed to Safdarjung Hospital his life could not be saved.”

It said “the DRI denies averment made in the writ petition that a demand was made to release the deceased.” In a statement, it had said Gaurav was brought to the agency’s office for questioning over gold and silver worth Rs 13 crore seized from his shop and residence.

The police told the court Gaurav’s body has been shifted to the premier hospital for autopsy and the medical board of six doctors has been formed under the supervision of a magisterial court in Saket.

The court had yesterday asked the police to preserve the CCTV footage of Gupta’s shop and the DRI office or nearby areas.

Gupta was taken to the DRI office in connection with an alleged gold smuggling case after his shop and residence here were raided by officials, the plea filed by his mother said.

The plea alleged that soon thereafter, his mother received a call from DRI demanding Rs 1.5 crore if she wanted to save her son from any torture.

Later in the day, the family found that Gupta had died, it alleged, adding that the death took place under suspicious circumstances.