NEW DELHI: Union minister Shashi Tharoor recorded his statement before the subdivisional magistrate on Sunday who is investigating the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar under mysterious circumstances in a five-star hotel here.
During his over half-an-hour long deposition at SDM Alok Sharma’s office in south west Delhi, Tharoor is understood to have narrated events prior to the death of his wife Sunanda.
52-year-old Sunanda was found dead in a south Delhi hotel suite on Friday night, two days after her twitter spat with a Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar over an alleged affair with Tharoor.
However, Sunanda and Tharoor had issued a joint statement declaring they were happily married.
Sunanda had accused Tarar of “stalking” her husband and trying to “break” her marriage when she was away for medical treatment.
The Pakistani journalist rubbished the charges of having any relationship with Tharoor.
Though there was no official word on what the 57-year-old minister said in his recorded statement, sources said he was asked about the events in the last few days before the death of his wife.
The minister left without speaking to the media after recording his statement.
Tharoor has offered to extend full cooperation to the investigation.
Earlier, in a letter to home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Tharoor offered his full cooperation in the probe into the death of his wife and said he was “horrified to read the reckless speculation rampant” in the media.
In the letter, Tharoor said the relevant authorities be asked to expedite the investigation and come to a rapid conclusion so that the truth emerges at the earliest regarding Sunanda’s death.
One of the doctors of the three-member panel that carried out the postmortem today said no trace of alcohol was found in Sunanda’s body.
Police said they are scanning through the CCTV footage of the third floor lobby of the hotel and call records of Sunanda to ferret out details of those who she may have spoken to try and break the mystery.
The minister’s personal staff and the hotel staff will also be questioned to piece together evidence and to have an idea about the state of mind she was in on the crucial day and hours before the death.
Investigators said the couple had reportedly altercations in the past and even on Thursday night they had a heated spat which continued till around 4:30 on Friday morning.
After that Tharoor had slept on a sofa in the drawing room while Sunanda was in the bedroom in the suite.
Investigators said that they will summon those people with whom she spoke over phone and record their statements to understand her state of mind.
The couple’s visit to Thiruvananthapuram, where she was hospitalized at Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) for three days before returning to the national capital on Wednesday is also under police scanner.
Police are also planning to seek all the treatment details of Sunanda from KIMS.
Doctors at the AIIMS will submit a preliminary report on Monday on their postmortem findings to the SDM.
After the postmortem, doctors on Saturday had said that Sunanda died a “sudden unnatural death” and her body bore several injury marks.
Police sources said that it could be a case of drug overdose.
A number of private staff of Tharoor also recorded their statement before the SDM. (PTI)