2G: foul play not ruled out in Batcha's death

Chennai: Investigators are not ruling out a foul play in the death of Sadiq Batcha, who was a close aide of jailed former telecom minister A Raja. Batcha was reportedly found hanging at his Chennai residence on Wednesday with his family members claiming that he committed suicide.

One of the doctors at Chennai's Government Hospital who conducted the postmortem on Batcha said that that he died due to asphyxia. Dr V Dekal of the

Government Royapettah Hospital in Chennai said that there was no injury mark except the one on the his neck. Refusing to comment on whether it was a suicide or murder, doctors are waiting for the pathological report to be declared.

The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday night decided to transfer case of Batcha's alleged suicide to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The state government said that the CBI should investigate Batcha's death as he had been questioned by the investigating agency in the 2G spectrum scam case and was reported to be a key link in the money trail.

His wife Rehana Banu has lodged a formal complaint based on which the police filed an FIR dealing with unnatural death.

His suicide note was recovered from his residence in which he is said to have written his family members to carry on in life. He has reportedly mentioned Raja, too, and said that the former telecom minsiter is a good man.

There have been reports that Batcha's wife was asking him to turn approver in the multi-crore scam case.

Batcha was the managing director of Green House promoters - one of the companies which CBI believes was a front for A Raja - where possibly the bribe money from 2G licenses was routed. Batcha was last questioned in this regard by the CBI on February 24, two months after his premises was raided.

The CBI had questioned him in connection with 2G spectrum scam on February 24, 2011. Raja's wife MA Parameshwari was a director in Green House Promoters. Batcha could have provided investigating agencies with vital clues linking Raja to the scam.

Batcha was likely to be questioned by the CBI again in the case and was reportedly coming to Delhi on Wednesday afternoon.

However, CBI officials say that Batcha's death would not hamper investigation as he was just a suspect but not a key player.