In a new twist to Kama Sutra supermodel Viveka Babajee's death, Mumbai police have learnt that poison has been found in her body during the autopsy examination conducted on Sunday evening, reports Mid Day.
"Five of Babajee's former boyfriends are being interrogated in connection with her death," said Senior Inspector Mangesh Pote of Khar police station. "We are probing the poison angle."
"We have found traces of a cocktail of hydrochloric acid and calmpose pills in Babajee's viscera," said sources at Cooper Hospital, Vile Parle. "The chemical mix is such that it can cause poisoning."
A doctor who conducted the procedure said Babajee could have consumed large doses of the lethal mix.
Dr A Dhere of Cooper Hospital, however, refused to comment on the findings.
Who gave calmpose?
The police will interrogate the former model's boyfriends to check if they could provide any clues as to where the deceased had got the chemicals from.
"We also need to check if the calmpose pills were prescribed to her by any doctor," said a police source.
Calmpose is a scheduled drug which can be bought only with a doctor's prescription.
Police sources said they are trying to establish if Babajee and some of her friends consumed a scheduled drug like calmpose.
A forensic examination is also being conducted to ascertain if any other person entered Babajee's Khar apartment before her death.
"The forensic report will throw light on whether she committed suicide or whether some person present with her spurred her to do so," said a senior police officer.
"We are also trying to find out if she was able to destroy all glass items in the apartment on her own after consuming such lethal dose of poison."
Police found a photograph of her stock analyst boyfriend Gautam Vora that had been ripped into two in her apartment.
Police is also investigating the two injury marks found on the body of model Viveka Babajee, who was found hanging in her house at Bandra West on Friday evening, reports Mumbai Mirror.
An officer from Khar police station said they were making inquiries with her acquaintances on this issue. “We are in the process of taking down statements of friends to find out if they are aware of how these marks were caused,” he added. The police have registered a case of accidental death and will decide on the further course of action after investigations, he said.
The model was reportedly in a relationship with a businessman Gautam Vora. The couple are reported to have got into an argument on Thursday night at her house, after which they broke up. The next evening, she was found hanging in her apartment. The initial autopsy report confirmed that she had died of hanging.
The body of the model is still lying in the mortuary at Cooper Hospital, Juhu, sources said.
"Rohit, please make me laugh", is what Viveka Babajee told designer Rohit Varma when he spoke to her four days before her body was found in her rented flat at Continental Towers, Carter Road, Bandra.
Varma, who had been a close friend of Babajee, told TOI on Sunday, “She was supposed to do a show for me next week. When I called her, she told me that she was depressed and said, ‘Please make me laugh. I am feeling low. Let's go out for dinner.''
Varma continued, “I did ask her the reason she was feeling low, but she did not give me any answer. She kept quiet even after I asked her whether it was a personal or professional problem that was upsetting her.''
Varma said he had often asked her about stockbroker Gautam Vora, who is allegedly the Gautam referred to in a diary jotting that reads: ‘Gautam, you killed me.' Varma said, “But she never confirmed that she was seeing Vora and did not give me a clear answer. I really don't know who Gautam Vora is.''
Vora, who lives at Nepean Sea Road, reportedly had a huge argument with Babajee at her apartment on Thursday. She wanted to throw a party for him on his birthday on Saturday when she expected him to make their relationship public. Vora allegedly wasn't ready for a commitment, which may have led her to commit suicide. Her body was found on Friday in the flat.
Anil Mishra, who is involved with the fashion industry, knew Babajee for over two years. He said, “I met her last week at a Chinese restaurant. She definitely looked disturbed to me, sounded a bit irritable. I asked her the reason, but she didn't say much.'' Mishra had reportedly got Babajee some fashion assignments.
Saying he didn't know about Vora, Varma added, “I know she was in a steady relationship with (businessman) Kartik Jobanputra, who is a dear friend of mine. But they split last December.''
When asked if Babajee's split with Kartik was over financial issues, Varma denied it, saying, “Not at all. In fact, Kartik was the one who paid Rs 3 lakh as deposit for her flat. So it is certainly not possible that they split over financial issues.''
Industry sources say that Babajee was possessive in her relationships, while Jobanputra wanted his space and so he decided to part ways. Babajee initially did not take the break-up well, but had been telling people of late that she was over the episode and was doing well for herself personally and professionally.
Sources said that Babajee ran the company Vibgyor Entertainment and Jobanputra ran Apex Entertainment. The two firms had an exclusive contract by which all the work Vibgyor did was for Apex. Jobanputra told TOI that there were no financial issues as all the dues were paid to Babajee by cheque and cleared before the couple split.
Jobanputra said he remembered Babajee fondly and did not want anyone maligning his or her name. “We split mutually. As for the allegations against me, I would like to say that all the dues to Viveka were settled amicably before we parted ways.''
Meanwhile, like many others in the fashion industry, Babajee's first boyfriend, Vicky Parahu, who lives in Mauritius and is in the property business, cannot believe that she could take her own life. He said, “I spoke to her sometime back. She sounded very cheerful. There was no sign of any depression. In fact, one of my friends met her in India. He too did not feel anything was wrong with her.''
Parahu also said Babajee didn't have a drinking problem. “Not at all. She was a social drinker,'' he said.
Babajee was last spotted at a lifestyle magazine's party with designers like Rocky S. She is said to have had a good time at the party. Rocky S said, “She was in an amazing mood, very happy.'' Those who knew her also denied any knowledge of her displaying suicidal tendencies in the past.
Parahu said that Babajee's mother had already arrived in India from Mauritius, but acquaintances in Mumbai couldn't confirm this.
