Rohit Tiwari murder: Police say probing property angle

Three days after Rohit Shekhar Tiwari's mysterious death in his south Delhi residence, the autopsy report has suggested that he died an "unnatural death, indicating that he was killed", a police officer said on Friday.

A Crime Branch officer told IANS that a case of murder has been registered. "All possible angles, including a property dispute between Rohit Shekhar Tiwari and his brother Sidharth, are being investigated. It was found that the family has property worth crores of rupees in Uttrakhand and Delhi," said the officer.

Rohit Shekhar Tiwari had won the paternity suit against former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, late Narayan Datt Tiwari. He was declared "brought dead" at Max Hospital on Wednesday after his mother took him there in an ambulance.

"The autopsy report of Rohit Shekhar Tiwari, 40, suggested that it is an unnatural death. Other contradictions were also found," Deputy Commissioner of Police Vijay Kumar told IANS. "The case has been transferred to the Crime Branch," he said.

The autopsy reports suggested that Rohit Shekhar Tiwari was smothered to death -- possibly with a pillar-like object.

Forensic and crime branch teams visited Rohit Shekhar's residence in Defence Colony in an effort to corroborate the sequence of events, including scanning the CCTV footage. They also videographed the house.

"His mother Ujjwala Tiwari, brother Siddharth, Rohit's wife Apporva and three servants are being questioned. While the teams found some contradictions in their statements which donot relete to our technical details. Rohit was murdered between 12 to 2 p.m. as per the autopsy report," the officer said.

"A Crime Branch team today questioned the Tiwari family and servants about their routine morning activities on the day of the murder. There were four CCTV cameras installed at Tiwari's residence in Defence Colony and all were found operational. There was no outsider entry in their residence," the officer said.

"We are trying to get call details of the family members. The movements of Tiwari's family and servants can provide us crucial links in the case. We are trying to find out what happened between six hours on Tuesday -- from 10 a.m to 4 p.m -- after Rohit's mother left her residence for her treatment in Max hospital in Saket," he added.

As per investigation, a servant had gone to check Rohit in his room located at the upper floor to give him breakfast, but he found him sleeping and did not see anything unnatural. But the same servant again visited him at 4 p.m. and found him unconscious, bleeding from the nose, police sources said.

"Rohit had undergone two bypass surgeries in 2007 and last year. He was under treatment for about a year. The Crime Branch team found many medicines stored in his room. We are waiting for his viscera report also," said the officer.

"It was found that Rohit twice had heart problems. His wife Apporva and brother Sidharth are suspects. It could be a case of sour reltionship," he added.

"It was found that Rohit slept late at night and woke up late in the noon. He wanted to build a big political career for himself from Uttarakhand. He had gone to vote on April 12 in Uttrakhand and returned to Delhi the same night," he said.

--IANS

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