New Delhi, June 4
Was it a deep-rooted conspiracy or a case of drug overdose that claimed the life of 38-year-old B.B. Moitra and sent Rahul Mahajan, son of the slain BJP leader, Pramod Mahajan, to hospital? This is the question that the detectives of the Delhi Police are trying to seek answer to as they picked up a few persons, including some Nigerians, for questioning.
“We have detained some persons, including foreigners, for questioning in connection with the case. We are looking into the drug angle also,” police sources said. One of the Nigerians arrested by the police was identified as Abdullah who claimed that he was a student of Jawahar Lal Nehru University here.
The police said his antecedents were being checked and the Nigerian Embassy had been informed of the detention of its nationals. The police was interrogating the detained persons for their possible role in drug peddling and their links with Moitra and Rahul.
So far, the Delhi Police has questioned 16 persons, including Trishay Khanna, Karan Ahuja and Rahul Malhotra who had visited the late BJP leader’s 7 Safdarjung Road residence on Thursday night with Sahil Zaroo, who was arrested yesterday after his dramatic surrender in Srinagar. All of them belong to affluent, well-connected business families.
The police had yesterday registered a case under Section 27 of the NDPS Act against some unidentified persons in connection with the case.
A police team also went to record the statement of Rahul, but could not have a session with him as he was still in the ICU.
Meanwhile, Sahil (21) was brought here today by the police from Srinagar on a two-day transit remand for questioning on his role in the episode. He had allegedly procured drugs for Rahul and Moitra.
Sahil would be questioned separately by the special cell of the Delhi Police. There was high drama at the airport as the police whisked him away through the rear gate at the Indira Gandhi International Airport to avoid mediapersons waiting there since morning.
Yesterday, investigating officers questioned Sahil’s father, a carpet dealer with business interests in Mumbai, Delhi and some foreign countries, about the whereabouts and antecedents of his son.
Meanwhile, a local court today remanded Sahil in eight-day police custody till June 12. Though the police had sought 10-day custody, Metropolitan Magistrate Rajiv Kumar granted only eight-days remand.
Rahul Mahajan continued to be under medication in the ICU of Apollo Hospital for the third day.
Although he is still on non-invasive ventilatory support, doctors are hopeful that he will be moved to the general ward on Monday.
Although the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital on Sunday maintained that Rahul Mahajan had tested negative for 14 identifiable drugs, including cocaine and its metabolites, a quantitative report by Dr Lal Pathlabs, a private pathological laboratory here, has indicated the presence of 3.9 units of cocaine and its metabolites in Rahul Mahajan’s urine sample.
Sources in Apollo Hospital, however, said they stand by their qualitative report that Rahul Mahajan had tested negative for drug intake as 3.9 units of drug traces fell in the normal range.
