In an incident that sent shockwaves through the state bureaucracy and police force, senior IAS officer D.K. Ravi, Additional Commissioner of Commercial Taxes (Enforcement), was found dead in his apartment near Koramangala on Monday evening under mysterious circumstances.
Police Commissioner M.N. Reddi, who rushed to the spot, told reporters that “prima facie, it appears to be a case of suicide and we see no room for foul play”. He also said Mr Ravi was found hanging from the ceiling fan. No suicide note was found, he said.
Home Minister K.J. George, who rushed to the spot, said, “Ravi was an able and efficient officer. His death has come as a shock and the police will probe all angles to ascertain his death. I am not aware whether he received any threat calls from the underworld or the land mafia.”
The body of Mr. Ravi, 36, was found, according to initial reports from top police officials, in the bedroom of his apartment in the well-known Prestige St. John’s Wood Apartment complex in Chikka Adugodi in the city.
His father-in-law Hanumantharayappa was reported by television channels as saying that Mr. Ravi had come back early from work on Monday and was at home by 11 a.m.
Mr. Ravi, a 2009 batch IAS officer, has been known for his forthrightness and zero tolerance to corruption, and was in the news recently for leading raids on well-known realty firms for tax evasion.
“He was one of the best officers in the IAS cadre and had taken on several powerful people fearlessly. It is a total shock,” said P. Manivannnan, senior IAS officer and Chief Project Officer, Karnataka State Highways Improvement Project.
Movement in and out of the apartment complex, which has seven blocks and 483 flats, was severely restricted by the police.
Speaking to The Hindu , Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee, said he was shocked by the news and described Mr. Ravi as a “very cheerful and nice person”.
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