A high-level team of the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) on Wednesday inspected Sadiq Batcha's house here, where he allegedly committed suicide by hanging on March 16. He was a close aide of the former Communications Minister, A. Raja,
During the daylong investigation, the officials interacted with the family members, employees and friends of Batcha, who was the managing director of Green House Promoters, sources in the CBI said.
A day after the Special Crime Branch registered a case, the team that included the CFSL Director and two CBI Joint Directors arrived from New Delhi and undertook the inspection.
Since Batcha's family members were not living in the house, CBI officials summoned them for the inquiry.
Batcha, 38, was questioned by the CBI on a few occasions and his residence/office was searched on December 15 in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation scam.
Suspecting that Batcha was privy to information relating to investments made by beneficiaries of the scam, the Enforcement Directorate also mounted a vigil on him.
“We are probing the circumstances that led to the death of Batcha. If homicide is ruled out, we have to see whether he was under pressure from someone to commit suicide. The statements of the family members and others have been video-graphed. All possible angles have to be investigated in detail,” a top CBI official said.
Forensic experts collected fingerprints and other available evidence in the room where Batcha was found hanging.
“The scene has not been disturbed. We have started the investigation with an open mind. Some suspicions have to be ruled out. The Chennai Police have handed over documents pertaining to the case,” the official said.
Police sources said the door, which Batcha's wife S. Rehabanu claimed to have forced open to find her husband hanging in a room, was found intact. In her complaint, she stated that when she went to call Batcha for lunch around 12.45 p.m. that day, there was no response, and the room was locked from inside. With the help of car drivers Selvakumar and Parthasarathy, she forced open the door.
“There is no indication of the door being broken or forced open. Experts who examined the door were also of the same view,” a police officer said.
