Before she killed herself in 2010, supermodel Viveka Babajee left just one hint of her troubled relationship in a page of her diary -- just a line that read, 'U killed me, Gautam Vora'.
Rigorously questioned in connection with the death, the model's rumoured fiancé did concede that things had not been going well between the two, and that he had met her a few hours before she hanged herself in her Bandra home.
He was said to have told her that he was not ready to marry her, which led to a loud altercation, and later, to her suicide. In the absence of a concrete link tying Vora to the abetment of her suicide, police finally let him off the hook.
Vora is a stockbroker and software entrepreneur, and his advice has often been sought by business publications and news channels, especially on high activity days at the Bombay Stock Exchange. He is said to specialise in 'off-market' deals and currently runs ULJK Securities Ltd with his mother.
Though most of his life was spent in Mumbai, he finished his business studies at Indiana University, Bloomington, US. He took over the reins of ULJK in 2010 after his father Khushaldas Vora passed away, and has been running it successfully ever since.
How does Vora know Palande?
Police sources say that Vora had been seeing Simran Sood, co-accused in the Tikku and Kakkar twin murders, for the last year. "Palande came in contact with Vora through Simran. He (Vora) would often accompany her to filmi parties, where he loved being photographed with models and actresses. She also introduced him to several famous women, who he briefly dated. It remains to be seen if the two men had business dealings as well," a police official said.
Another story doing the rounds is that Vora may have been associated with Sood even when he was still seeing Babajee, who was totally besotted with Vora after a brief meeting in Goa.
What's next for Vora?
Police are now trying to find the exact extent of Vora's involvement with the twin murders. "It is a bit strange that a wealthy person like him, normally seen in the company of people belonging to his own social class, would be associated with a noted criminal like Palande, to the extent that he would actively shelter him despite knowing that the man was on the run after a killing," a police official said. Police are also probing the level of his involvement with Sood.
Meanwhile, inspector Sanjay Shinde and constable Amol Deshpande of Mumbai crime branch were suspended for allowing Palande to escape from police custody on April 10.
Image: Stockbroker Gautam Vora was prodcued in court on Monday
Credit: Sahil Salvi/Rediff.com
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