Mumbai: Actor 'hanged himself' from fan as wife slept in bed below

A 28-year-old actor, Rahul Mahesh Dixit, was found hanging in his bedroom where his wife was asleep, in the wee hours of Wednesday. Police said his wife, Rupali (also called Priya), woke up around 5 am and saw him hanging. Rahul had been uploading videos of Priya on Facebook, before allegedly committing suicide.

Rahul's father suspects foul play and has blamed Priya. While Oshiwara police have not ruled out foul play, prima facie they believe that it could be suicide due to some personal issues. Rahul had arrived in Mumbai about three months back. Police said he hailed from Jaipur and got married to Rupali last year in the month of November, and was addicted to alcohol, which is one of the reasons why both used to fight frequently.

The incident
Police said Rahul's friends and Priya said they were partying at their residence in Yamuna Nagar building's D wing at Oshiwara till 4am. Later they all went to bed. "There were five people in the two bedroom flat including Rahul and his wife Priya, her sister Sana, and friends Priti and Sajid. We have recorded their statements and are investigating the matter, as of now an ADR has been registered," said an officer from Oshiwara police station.

Rupali (Priya) on social media till about 3 am and was found hanging a couple of hours later

According to Priya's statement, "I woke up suddenly around 5am and saw Rahul hanging from the ceiling fan. He had used a bed sheet for the same. We all rushed him to Kokilaben hospital where he was declared dead."

Father suspects foul play
While Rahul's uncle said they have questions about what happened, his father blamed Priya. Late on Wednesday Rahul's father Mahesh Dixit posted on Facebook, "My son will never commit suicide. The girl Rupa / Priya is behind his death. There were a lot of marks all over his body. Police is also trying to hide the fact by declaring it as suicide which is incorrect. God will punish that girl one day."

"We don't want to blame anybody but we have certain questions about what exactly happened," said Rahul's uncle Manish Sharma. He said Rahul was supposed to get married in Jaipur last year in December and was settled in the family business. But in November he ran away from home as he didn't wanted to get married, though he had agreed to it before.

Rahul's brother-in-law Bhagwati Prasad Sharma told mid-day, "Last night till 2am or 3am he was sharing photos and videos on his social media accounts. Within an hour he committed suicide which is unbelievable."

Sources said the police have recovered a two-page diary note from Rahul's bedroom, in which he has written about his drinking habit, which was troubling everyone close to him. Additional Commissioner (West Region) Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma said, "Under the circumstances, we are investigating all aspects including murder and suicide. The family members' statements were also recorded."

5
No. of people present in the flat at the time of incident

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