In what appears to be a first, Noida Police have registered a case of murder after receiving a complaint via WhatsApp. The WhatsApp message, from the uncle of a boy who had supposedly committed suicide, suggested foul play involved in the incident. The police have lodged an FIR based on this.
Gaurav Srivastav, a 27-year-old software engineer, had died on January 13 after falling from the sixth-floor balcony of Grand Ajnara Heritage in Sector 74. The body was cremated in Dholpur, Rajasthan soon after, but on January 24, the boy's uncle, Haridev Srivastav, sent a WhatsApp message to the SO of Sector 49, alleging that the boy’s death was part of a conspiracy.
The police, which was hitherto treating the death as a suicide, immediately registered an FIR.
Gaurav lived on a seventh-floor flat in Prateek Wisteria, Sector 77, Noida, with three roommates.
On the late evening of January 12, after having drinks, he went to Grand Ajnara Heritage to meet his female friend and colleague, who lived on the sixth floor.
Around 10 pm, news of Gaurav falling down from the balcony became known and security guards of the society rushed to the spot. He was grievously injured and was admitted to Fortis Hospital. Next afternoon, he succumbed to his injuries.
Noida Police sources told City Spidey that the victim’s friends had said they had all consumed alcohol on January 12 evening, and that the female colleague whom Gaurav had gone to meet had apparently even refused to meet him. They added that Gaurav’s feelings for her was one-sided.
However, it is still not clear how Gaurav managed to reached the balcony of the flat and how he fell down.
The police now intend to question the girl and her friends. Their call records are also being checked at the moment.
Dinesh Yadav, SP, Noida, said that after the incident, the family hadn't levelled charges against anyone. But based on the WhatsApp message, a case of murder had been registered.
