NAGPUR: Deepak Desai, a 27-year-old man
accused
of
smuggling
gold, jumped to his death from the sixth-floor office of the deputy director of Directorate of Revenue intelligence (DRI), at CGO Complex, Seminary Hills, in Nagpur during an
investigation
on Saturday. The state criminal investigation department (CID) officials on Monday visited the
DRI
office for a preliminary inquiry.
Desai and Sunil Ghodke were detained from the Mumbai-bound Duronto Express following a tip-off when it reached Nagpur station on Saturday, said police. The duo, who allegedly possessed gold valued at more than Rs 2.25 crore, were taken to the DRI office from the railway station. While 483gm of the gold hidden in eight bedsheets was recovered from Desai, the DRI sleuths seized 3kg gold from Ghodke, said a police source.
The two were heading to Zaveri Bazaar in Mumbai from Kolkata, which is a routine modus operandi of gold smugglers. With spiralling rates, gold smugglers have become active more nowadays to bring cheaper gold from Bengal and sell it to bullion traders of Mumbai, and Itwari in Nagpur.
Sources said the DRI sleuths were busy in the investigation when Desai rushed towards the window and jumped off it. It's not clear why DRI did not ensure security at the place they were interrogating the accused. Desai, the only son of a widow from Sangli, was rushed to Mayo Hospital but declared dead. Gittikhadan police registered an accidental death case.
Sources said Desai's family members have levelled allegations of foul play against DRI officials. The investigation is now likely to be transferred to either the state CID or the city police crime branch. An official of additional SP rank visited the place after police alerted them about the incident.
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