Sunanda Pushkar`s death case transferred to Delhi Crime Branch

The probe into the mysterious death of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Union Minister Shashi Tharoor, was transferred to the elite Crime Branch of Delhi Police.

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: In a significant development, the probe into the death of Sunanda Pushkar, the wife of Union minister Shashi Tharoor, was on Thursday transferred to the Crime Branch wing of the Delhi Police. "We will proceed in the case as per law," said Special Commissioner (Crime) Dharmendra Kumar. PTI has quoted sources as saying that the high-profile case has been handed over to Crime Branch considering its "sensitive nature" and "complexities" involved. Asked whether Crime Branch will question Tharoor and 11 other people who had already given their statement to the SDM, Kumar said a decision in this regard will be taken after examining the case details. The move has come two days after a report by the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) probing her death said Sunanda died of poisoning. Sub-Divisional Magistrate Alok Sharma had asked police to find out the cause of poisoning and also to specifically probe the case as that of murder or suicide. The magistrate, who got the post-mortem examination report from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), declined to reveal its contents, saying the report was sealed. In a report to the police, the SDM, who has recorded the statements of Sunanda`s brother, son, Tharoor and his staff, said that no family member suspected any foul play in the death. The sources had said autopsy report also mentions a "deep teeth bite" on the edge of the left palm apart from mentioning over a dozen injury marks. They had said autopsy report has found mix of two drugs - Alprazolam and Excedrin - in Sunanda`s body. Excedrin is a combination of acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine. The SDM, in his report, had said Sunanda could have died in "just three ways, homicidal, suicidal and accidental" and police should investigate further to ascertain the reason of her death. News agency IANS quoted police sources as saying that the autopsy report submitted to the sub-divisional magistrate earlier this week said Pushkar died due to drug overdose. Notably, Shiv Menon, the son of late Sunanda Pushkar, yesterday said that his mother was too strong to commit suicide and he does not believe that Tharoor was capable of physically harming his mother. Sunanda Pushkar was found dead under mysterious circumstances in her room at the Leela Palace hotel here on January 17. Her death followed days of a spat on social networking sites involving her and a Pakistani woman journalist who Pushkar said was pursuing her husband, Shashi Tharoor. The journalist has denied the charge. At one time, Pushkar said she would divorce the minister. Later, she and Tharoor issued a statement saying they were happily married. (With Agency inputs)