Sadiq Batcha's death: Post-mortem report today

Chennai: The post-mortem report of Sadiq Batcha, a businessman from Tamil Nadu who was known for his close ties to former Telecom Minister A Raja, will be out today. The Tamil Nadu government has transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Mr Batcha was found hanging in his home in Chennai on Wednesday afternoon at around 1 pm. Hours later, the police found a suicide note. In his note, Mr Batcha wrote that he blamed nobody for his death, but that he was embarrassed by "raids and media limelight over the 2G spectrum scam." He also wrote that Mr Raja and his wife "are good people."

Mr Batcha, who was 47, had been interrogated twice in the last few weeks about the 2G spectrum scam, mainly because the company he headed was believed to be a front for the massive bribes that were allegedly paid to Mr Raja in return for the licences that he gave at baffling bargains to companies in 2008.

The CBI is investigating the scam, described as India's largest swindle.


Like Mr Raja, Mr Batcha was from Perambalur. He was the Managing Director of Green House, a real estate company which is owned and operated partially by Mr Raja's family. The former minister's brother is a primary investor and Mr Raja's wife serves as the firm's legal advisor.

The company was set up in 2008 with a capital of Rs. one core. Its meteoric rise to a Rs. 600-crore company may have been funded, investigators believe, by the money that Mr Raja made illicitly during his term as Telecom Minister.

Mr Batcha's wife, Bhanu, said that she last saw her husband at 10 am on Wednesday before his bath. Three hours later, when there was no sign of him, she asked her driver to help her break open the locked door.

There were conflicting reports on whether Mr Batcha was scheduled to fly to Delhi later on Wednesday to meet with investigators. Sources in the CBI say he had been approached to turn approver in the 2G scam.

In Chennai, Opposition leader Jayalalithaa blamed Mr Raja's party, the DMK, for his death. She also said that Mr Raja should be provided with special security. "Otherwise he could also go the Sadiq Batcha way," she said in a press release.


Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/sadiq-batchas-death-post-mortem-report-today-92254?cp