Rahul case: Drugs, alcohol likely cause of Maitra's death

A lethal combination of drugs and alcohol seem to be the most likely cause of the death of Vivek Maitra and near-death of Rahul, the man Friday and son respectively of late BJP leader of 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 has given them names of some drug peddlers who were detained for the interrogation by the police.

Although Rahul was said to have made substantial recovery 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 statement to investigators, something the police did not appear to be convinced about. His interrogation would now have to await clearance by the doctors.

Strengthening the widely-held suspicion that it was a case of drugs and alcohol, the hospital authorities today acknowledged that a well-known private pathalogical laboratory, Lal's, have 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.

The mortal remains of Vivek Maitra, meanwhile were cremated at the Turbhe crematorium in Navi Mumbai today.

Mumbai BJP chief Prakash Mehta was among the party leaders who attended the funeral.

Maitra's body was brought to Mumbai from Delhi on Saturday night at 11 pm and shifted to the Municipal Hospital at Vashi where it was kept for the night.