Kidney racket witness commits suicide

A 27-year-old man, who was a key witness in the kidney racket busted at a private hospital in Mumbai over two years ago, allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at his home near here, police said Tuesday.

Sundarsingh Balvantsingh was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his home in Diva town of Thane district, they said.

Thane Police PRO Sukhada Narkar said Balvantsingh's highly decomposed body was found Tuesday evening.

He has been living in the locality since the last 18 months, the police said.

It was not immediately known when he committed suicide and the incident came to light when neighbours noticed foul smell emanating from his home and alerted the police.

According to the police, Balvantsingh and his wife often quarrelled over domestic issues and the last fight between them took place on January 1.

On January 3, his wife left home and went to her native place, they said.

Balvantsingh used to sell 'pav bhaji' (a popular snack in Maharashtra) to earn his living, the police added.

He was a key witness in the kidney racket that was unearthed at Hiranandani Hospital at Powai in suburban Mumbai in July 2016, they said.

Balvantsingh's body was sent for a post-mortem and a case of accidental death registered, the police added.