"Two women from the building were on their evening walk when they heard something fall near them. Then they saw the body and started screaming," said Rajesh Tiwari, the security guard at Rajdoot Apartments
The security guard points to spot where Raju fell
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"Two women from the building were on their evening walk when they heard something fall near them. Then they saw the body and started screaming," said Rajesh Tiwari, the security guard at Rajdoot Apartments who found Raju Mahar, 30, lying in a pool of blood. He had fallen from the seventh-storey apartment of his employer, filmmaker Sai Kabir. "I had also heard a loud thud, so I ran in the direction of the sound and the women's screams. I saw Raju's body, his head had caved in," Tiwari recalled.
Also read: Kangana Ranaut's director Sai Kabir enters rehab after help falls to death from 7th floor
The window was largely covered with a net. Pics/Satej Shinde
Sai was intoxicated
The incident took place around 6.30 pm on January 31. One of the residents called the police control room, and the Versova police dispatched a team to the spot. Meanwhile, the security guard call Sai on the intercom, but there was no response. Someone then contacted him on his cell phone, and after a few attempts, he finally answered the call. When Sai came downstairs, he seemed heavily intoxicated, said the police. "When he saw Raju's condition, he broke down in tears," added Tiwari. Sources in the police said Sai was in no condition to assess the situation or tell them what had happened. They took him to the police station for questioning initially, but later decided to take him to hospital for treatment instead. They took him to Cooper Hospital, but he requested to be taken to Masina Hospital, since he was in rehab there a few months ago, reported Spotboye, an entertainment news portal. As per police sources, Sai is currently in rehab under Dr Yusuf Matcheswalla's supervision (see box).
No salary for months
According to the cops, Raju had worked as Sai's domestic help for five years. Tiwari added that Raju was a trusted employee and never complained about his boss or work conditions,. "We never even saw any sign of stress on his face," he added. However, Raju's younger brother, Ranjeet Mahar had a different story to tell. Ranjeet, who arrived in Mumbai from Bengaluru a day after the incident, said, "Raju was stressed out, as he had not received his salary for the past four to five months. He also wanted to visit his home."
Ranjeet did not accuse anyone for his brother's death, but said that the family expects a fair investigation. The Versova police have so far registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR). A closer look at the crime scene shows that the seventh-floor window was largely covered with a net, which raises suspicion on how Raju could have fallen from there. The police completed the panchnama and sent Raju's body to Cooper Hospital for post-mortem.
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