Retired CESC official’s charred body found in his apartment

Police said that Ranjit Borat the victim was a retired CESC officer who used to stay at a flat situated on the third floor of a residential apartment at G Block in Maniktala along with his wife.On Friday night, local residents spotted smoke billowing out of their flats and informed the fire brigade department.

Firefighters found that Borat’s body was lying on the ground in a half burnt state. They extinguished the fire and found that he had severe burn injuries all over his body. He was declared dead after being taken to the hospital. 

Senior police officers and forensic experts have visited the spot and collected samples. Borat’s wife was also found to have been doused in kerosene. Police have held the victim’s wife for interrogation. Her statement has baffled police as she was making contradictory statements during the interrogation.

She was saying that she did not have any clue about his husband who, she claimed, had set himself on fire. Then, contradicting her own statement she also said that she was sleeping in an adjacent room when the incident happened. She told one of her neighbours following the incident, that she was watching television in another room when the incident had taken place at around 12.30 am. 

Police suspect that the victim might have committed suicide following a quarrel. They are yet to ascertain whether the victim’s wife had instigated him to commit suicide. Police are investigating if the victim’s wife was involved in the incident.

Local people told the police that the couple had often engaged in quarrel with each other on various issues. They often heard the elderly couple shouting. Some, however, blamed the woman for this incident and claimed that she was in an inebriated state while the incident took place. 

The residents of the residential apartments said that the couple did not maintain good relations with the neighbours and would often booze inside their flat. Some, however, said that they were suffering from psychological problems and they did not have good relationship with their daughter.

Local people also told the police that the victim might have committed suicide following a quarrel with his wife. If she had prevented his husband from committing suicide or not, was a matter of investigation. Police have recovered a car used by the victim with police sticker stuck on the windscreen and recovered a wireless from inside the vehicle. 

Police are also investigating how a CESC employee could use a car with police sticker on it.According to the preliminary investigation police came to know that the victim’s cousin used to work in the police. The body has been sent for the post-mortem examination.