The mystery over the death of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiren deepened further on Saturday with the post-mortem report coming in inconclusive, unable to pin-point the exact cause of death.
The post-mortem was conducted at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa. The opinion on the report has been reserved and the viscera have been sent for chemical analysis to the Sir JJ Hospital in Mumbai. There are no visible marks on the body of Mansukh Hiren.
Mansukh Bhai (48), as he was popularly known, was the owner of the Mahindra Scorpio SUV that was parked near Antilla, Mumbai residence of Mukesh Ambani, with gelatin-sticks and a threatening letter. The body of Mansukh (48), was fished out from the Reti Bunder creek in Mumbra-Kalwa area of Thane district on Friday.
Mansukh owned a car accessories business, Classic Car Decor near Vandana Talkies and stayed in Vikas Palm Complex at Dr Ambedkar Road in Thane city.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 1) Avinash Ambure visited the residence of the Hiren family — his wife, Vimala and brother Vinod — and pursued them to take the body for cremation.
“The post-mortem was conducted and we have shown the report to the family,” he said without commenting any further.
In a related development, a team of Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) surveyed the Reti Bunder area, where the body was recovered.
“What we want is complete investigations and the cause of death,” said Devibhai Jain, the President of Thane Vyapari Sangh. “He was a family man, a good person, financially stable and had no addiction,” he added. Family and friends of Mansukh Hiren said that he was a good swimmer and cannot get drowned.
Meanwhile, it is speculated that Mansukh wrote a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh and his Thane counterpart Vivek Phansalakar on March 2, which could not be independently verified. In the letter, he had reportedly claimed that he was being harassed by police over the recovery of the car.
Meanwhile, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh held a review meeting with state Director General of Police Hemant Nagrale.
Family friend Sandeep Khambe repeatedly pointed out that Mansukh was a good swimmer and cannot die by drowning. "We have seen that five handkerchiefs have been recovered from his face...this needs to be investigated," he said.