In custody, NRI ‘jumps to death’ in Mumbai

A Dubai-based diamond trader, in the custody of the Mumbai police, allegedly killed himself by jumping off a six-storey building at DN Nagar, Andheri, on Sunday. The trader, Deepak Dinkar Mehta, 40, was recently handed over to the Mumbai crime branch by immigration authorities in Delhi in connection with a cheating case.

The police said an anti-extortion cell (AEC) team had taken Mehta to Guru Kripa building for investigation. Mehta’s sister stays in the building.

“Between 3.15 and 3.30pm, when the AEC officials were questioning Mehta, he pushed a constable aside, went to the terrace and jumped off from there,” said Dilip Suryavanshi, assistant commissioner of police, DN Nagar division.

An accidental death case has been registered in this regard with the DN Nagar police. “We shall investigate the custodial death angle, too, after recording statements of all the officials in the team,’’ Suryavanshi said. The team comprised four officials, including a woman constable.

Mehta had allegedly cheated a city firm and made off with diamonds worth approximately Rs2 crore in 2007. A lookout notice was issued against him at the time.  Turn to p3

He was arrested by the immigration authorities from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on Wednesday.

According to the police, in February 2007, Deepak along with his friend Nirav Mehta had approached the owner of a diamond firm and introduced themselves as diamond brokers. “To gain the confidence and trust of the complainant, the duo bought diamonds valued at a few lakhs from him on some occasions. On April 23, they told him that they had a foreign customer who wanted to purchase diamonds,’’ said an officer.

A few days late, the two arrived at his office along with a foreigner, a woman, who looked at several diamonds and selected a few worth around Rs1.60 crore. The trio left saying they would come back, the police said. The next day, when the two arrived at the trader’s office, they told him that the customer wanted to compare the diamonds before purchase. He handed over the packet of diamonds to the duo.

“The two fled to Dubai with the diamonds. The victim filed a cheating case against them with the DB Marg police station,” the officer said.