Mumbai musician suicide case: Son was mentally tortured, claim parents

Mumbai: In a new twist in the suicide case of Bengaluru musician Karan Joseph, the police have found that he had sent a message to his mother stating that he was "scared".

The police have registered an abetment of suicide case after his parents claimed that he was "mentally tortured" by somebody.

Joseph, 29, jumped off the window of a 12th floor flat of a high-rise in suburban Bandra on Saturday morning. The flat, located on Bullock Road in the posh suburb, was owned by a company where his friend Rishi Shah works.

The Bandra Police have recovered Joseph's mobile phone and found that he had sent a message to his mother saying "I am scared" on the day he killed himself, a senior officer said.

The Bandra Police, on Tuesday, registered a case of abetment of suicide under Section 306 of the IPC after Joseph's parents approached them, he said.

"Tina and Thomas Joseph told the police that their son was too strong and couldn't have taken such an extreme step. They alleged that he was being mentally tortured by some unknown person," he said, adding that the police investigating the messages and calls made by the deceased.

Police also found a cigar and tobacco from the flat.

Police have so far recorded statements of the deceased musician's parents, his brother, two friends, a cousin, and of a watchman of the building, the officer said.

"Joseph's friends stated they found nothing unusual in his behaviour on the day he committed suicide. They claimed that Joseph came to the flat on Friday night and all of them watched television in the living area on Saturday morning, which was their routine...Joseph suddenly went to window and jumped off," he said quoting the statements.

Joseph was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.

"As per the postmortem report, Joseph suffered multiple fractures. Besides that, there were no signs of any scuffle or injuries," the officer said citing the report.