Suspended corporate affairs ministry officer, son commit suicide

Suspended Corporate Affairs Ministry officer B.K. Bansal, being probed in a graft case, and his son Yogesh committed suicide by hanging themselves from ceiling fans at their apartment, the city police said on Tuesday.

A seven-page suicide note was also recovered from the officer's house.

Bansal, 60, and his 30-year-old son Yogesh were found hanging from ceiling fans in separate rooms of their flat by their maid Rachna on Tuesday morning in Neelkanth Apartments in east Delhi.

"The maid found them and raised an alarm. The neighbours then informed the police around 9 a.m.," Deputy Commissioner of Police Rishipal told IANS.

The officer said: "They might have committed suicide late Monday night or early Tuesday. The exact time can be confirmed only after the post-mortem report."

The bodies have been sent to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital for autopsy.

The police said a suicide note was found.

According to the neighbours, Bansal and his son were upset over the ongoing graft case and the recent deaths in the family.

Bansal's wife Satyabala, 57, and daughter Neha, 27, also committed suicide on July 19 following interrogation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Two suicide notes were found at that time.

Bansal, Director General of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, was arrested on July 16 on charges of receiving a bribe of Rs 9 lakh for extending favours to a corporate firm.

He was dealing with matters related to alleged violations by a Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company.

A Delhi court had granted bail to Bansal on August 30. According to sources, the CBI had summoned him for further questioning on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, after the death of the Bansal, the CBI issued a statement: "We are deeply saddened to know the unfortunate demise of B.K. Bansal and his son today (Tuesday). The matter is being looked into by the local police."

"The case is under investigation. Further, the son of B.K. Bansal was neither accused nor summoned by the CBI in the on-going bribery investigation," it added.

The CBI also said that four sets, including seven pages, of suicide notes were recovered from their possession (Bansal and his son).

"Five pages of the suicide note were written by Bansal while a two-page note was written by his son," the CBI said.

"In the suicide note, Bansal had mentioned about the details of his wife and daughter's suicide," a police source said.

Rishipal also said: "The suicide notes have been handed over to CBI."

--IANS

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