By IANS,
New Delhi : A 42-year-old businessman was found shot dead in mysterious circumstances at his home in the Indian capital Sunday, but the police suspect it is a case of suicide.
Asit Pal Khatri alias Govind was lying in a pool of blood at his Narela house when some friends of his son Sandeep, 22, broke open the door bolted from inside.
Khatri’s wife Babita told the police that he returned late Saturday from Vrindawan in Uttar Pradesh where he was constructing a small hotel.
Khatri is also said to own small hotels in Delhi and in other cities. He consumed alcohol and after dinner retired to another room, bolting the door from inside.
“I also retired to another room and woke up after hearing a sound similar to that of a firecracker burst. I went to my husband’s room but he did not respond. So I called my son Sandeep who was in Chandigarh,” police quoted Babita as telling them.
The police said Sandeep called up some friends in Delhi who went to check on his father. They broke open the door and found Khatri dead.
Sandeep, who was to go to New Zealand for further studies, also returned to Delhi in the morning. The police were informed around 9 a.m.
“There was an unlicensed Chinese pistol in the hand of the deceased. We suspect that he shot himself on the right side above his ear,” said a police official who inspected the spot.
“But nothing can be said for sure. We are also looking into the murder angle. It would only be clear after post-mortem,” the officer said. No suicide note has been recovered.