Crime: Delhi; A Sinister Script

Mystery shrouds the death of two Zee TV journalists, throwing the police into a tizzy.

It's the kind of murder mystery 21-year-old Zee TV reporter Rajiv Rajah would have loved to crack. Only, on the morning of August 5, he became the story himself. Worse, alongside his body, which was discovered in a pool of blood-stained vomit on the rear seat of his Maruti Esteem, was that of Monica Malik, a friend and production assistant at Zee TV. The car was parked in the garage of Rajiv's father's flat in south Delhi's INA Colony. And as grim reminders of the last party the two were to attend together were a box of chocolates and a red rose on the dashboard.

Two days after the incident, as anguished relatives were grappling to come to terms with the deaths, nonplussed police officials remained mum. "We are probing all possibilities," was all that R.S. Ghuman, additional deputy commissioner of police, would say. But the possibility of murder was not ruled out considering that the bodies bore external injuries. While Monica had strangulation marks on her neck, Rajiv's left arm had been injured.

On the night of August 4, Rajiv and Monica attended a charity dinner hosted by filmstar Jackie Shroff at the Taj Palace Hotel. The invitation had been given to Rajiv by his father, Ashok Rajah, a senior manager at Safdarjung Airport. When the two did not return home even by 3.30 a.m., Ashok called Rajiv on the mobile. But there was no response. It was only later, around 7.50 a.m. when the car cleaner entered the garage that Rajiv's family came to know about the deaths.

FATAL SEQUENCE

Aug 4, 8 p.m.: Rajiv sets out for a charity dinner hosted by filmstar Jackie Shroff.

Aug 5, 12.05 a.m.: Rajiv and colleague Monica are still partying.

Aug 5, 3.30 a.m.: Rajiv's father receives no response when he calls him on mobile.

Aug 5, 7.50 a.m.: Rajiv and Monica found dead in his car inside the garage f his flat.

In the absence of any substantive clues and the reluctance on the part of the police to talk about the post-mortem, various theories on the deaths have sprung up. One angle is that Rajiv and Monica ended their lives by consuming poison. It could have also been an accident in which the duo was suffocated to death by carbon monoxide emanating from the car exhaust. The Central Forensic Science Laboratory is examining samples of the blood-stained vomit collected from the car.

According to some, Monica, although six years Rajiv's senior, had fallen in love with him in the course of their 10-month association. But Rajiv was not ready for marriage. Claims his sister Sheetal: "There was nothing between them." Adds T.B. Vinod, who was with Rajiv at Zee earlier: "Rajiv had no plans to tie the knot." Spurned by Rajiv, the theory goes, Monica poisoned him and an incensed Rajiv in turn attacked her.

A fourth version is that Monica was killed after being sexually assaulted in the car by "friends" she met at the party. Rajiv, who may have been a witness to this, was eliminated by poisoning. Supporting this line of reasoning are the facts that the garage doors were closed, the car locked from within, the airconditioner switched off and keys kept on the dashboard. The argument is that two people wishing to end their lives would not have planned things so meticulously. Also, a thin metallic wire recovered from the car is suspected to have been used to murder Monica.

Rajiv and Monica's relatives find it hard to buy any of the versions. Known for his sense of humour and cool temperament, Rajiv, they say, would never have ended his life. "He made people laugh, he filled our house with joy," chokes his father. "I never saw him angry," adds aunt Bimla Sharma, suggesting that he had no enemies who would want to kill him. Murder or accident, one thing is certain: the Delhi Police, already under pressure, is unlikely to come out of the media glare in a hurry.