Fainted & Drowned In Hotel Bathtub; Procedures Delay India Return; Mumbai Kept Waiting
Movie icon Sridevi died on Saturday night due to accidental drowning in her hotel bathtub following loss of consciousness, the Dubai government said on Monday. This is after reports had said on Sunday that she fainted and died of a massive cardiac arrest in her hotel room. Meanwhile, the Mumbai Police said that it would not make any inquiries into the case.
The Dubai police transferred the case to the Dubai Public Prosecution that will carry out regular legal procedures followed in such cases. The embalming process of the body is likely to take place only on Tuesday.
Speculation, questions and wild theories have started gaining ground as the delay in completion of medico-legal formalities keeps growing. The Dubai-based Gulf News said in a report the actor was under the influence of alcohol. She fell into the bathtub and drowned, it said.
The Dubai government tweet, however, did not reveal the results of any toxicology tests. Only the full post-mortem report can explain how earlier reports of cardiac arrest and the listing of accidental drowning are linked.
"The investigation is on to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident as the forensic report only says she drowned," Gulf News quoted an official as saying. Dubai police earlier cleared return of the mortal remains, but had to await Prosecution Magistrate's go-ahead after the case transfer.
Navdeep Suri, Indian Envoy to the UAE, said efforts were on to expedite the return of mortal remains.
The Khaleej Times quoted family sources to report that Sridevi's husband Boney Kapoor found her motionless in the bathtub. Another account said she was found unconscious in the washroom by the hotel staff.
The police are said to be trying to piece together the sequence of events and find out who was with her when the incident happened.
"We are not conducting any inquiries into the case," said Mumbai Police Spokesperson Deepak Deoraj. The death happened in Dubai, which is not the jurisdiction of the Indian police, explained former IPS officer-turned-lawyer YP Singh.
The 54-year-old actress was in Dubai with her husband Boney Kapoor, daughter Khushi and other family members to attend nephew Mohit Marwah's wedding. Her heath has left Bollywood in deep shock and millions of fans heartbroken.
"The death of Indian actress Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartment's bathtub following loss of consciousness," the Dubai police tweeted, citing a post-mortem.
A chartered flight has flown to Dubai to bring her body back to India. The funeral will be held at Mumbai's Pawan Hans in Juhu, Ville Parle.
Gulf News also attached a copy of the UAE government's forensic report on its Twitter handle. The report, citing accidental drowning as the cause of death, has a stamp of the "Ministry of Health UAE" and the director of preventive medicine, Dubai, Dr Sami Wadie.
The report mentions the actor's full name, "Sreedevi Boney Kapoor Ayyappan", her passport number, the date of the incident and the cause of the death.
Unfolding Case
Monday disclosure
Dubai govt quotes its police, autopsy analysis, says the actor died of accidental drowning in her hotel bathtub following loss of consciousness. Case passed to Dubai Public Prosecution
Speculation rife
Speculation, questions and theories gained ground as the delay in medico-legal formalities grew. Only the full post-mortem report can explain how earlier reports of cardiac arrest and the listing of accidental drowning are linked
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The Dubai government tweet, however, did not reveal the results of any toxicology tests. Only the full post-mortem report can explain how earlier reports of cardiac arrest and the listing of accidental drowning are linked.
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