Rahul case: Drugs, alcohol likely cause

A lethal combination of drugs and alcohol appeared to be the most likely cause of the death of Vivek Moitra and near-death of Rahul, the man Friday and son respectively of late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan as the police made headway in the sensational case today.

Seeking to unravel the mysterious events at the Mahajan residence here on Thursday night, the police flew in a key figure in the case, Sahil Zaroo, from Srinagar, where he had been arrested yesterday after he had acknowledged that he was present at the late night party attended by Moitra, Rahul and three others.

Police announced tonight that 21-year-old Sahil had admitted procuring drugs for Moitra, who died before being admitted to the hospital, and to Rahul, who has recovered from his critical condition at Delhi's Apollo Hospital.

After swiftly securing an eight-day remand for Sahil, police put him under sustained interrogation during which he gave them names of some drug peddlers who were detained for interrogation by the police.

Although Rahul was said to have recovered considerably and was talking to people around him, the doctors at the Apollo Hospital gave in writing to the police that he was not in a fit condition to give a statement to investigators, something the police did not appear to be convinced about.

Strengthening the widely-held suspicion that it was a case of drugs and alcohol, the hospital authorities today acknowledged that a well-known private pathological laboratory, Lal's, had found traces of "cocaine and a cocktail of drugs" in the urine sample of Rahul, although he had tested negative for these drugs in the hospital yesterday.

Apollo Medical Director Anupam Sibal said, "It could be said that cocaine was present even though in a very minute level. It is very much normal."

Sibal said there was further improvement in Rahul's condition and he was off the ventilator most of the time since yesterday and was partaking oral diets and fluids.