‘Boyfriend’ ends silence: Model was depressed

Gautam Vora, allegedly named by model Viveka Babajee in her suicide note, moved an anticipatory bail application (ABA) before the sessions court on Monday.

Vora, a 32-year-old stockbroker, who had been evasive since the 37-year-old model ended her life on Friday, said he was scared since media reports made him believe he would be arrested in connection with Babajee’s suicide.

Special public prosecutor RV Kini said the police had no intention of arresting him at this point. Despite being summoned by the police, Vora did not record his statement. “I am not connected with her (Babajee’s) suicide. I will talk only after I record my statement,” Vora said.

The police have registered a case of accidental death. Principal judge ML Tahaliyani asked Vora to record his statement and said the police won’t arrest him till the case is heard on Tuesday. In his ABA, Vora asked the court to save him from being arrested as it would “malign his reputation”.

Senior counsel Shirish Gupte and advocate Rajendra Sorankar told the court  media reports and summons from the police created panic in Vora’s mind that he could be implicated in a non-cognisible offence.

“You scared him away. Instead of using the word tapaas (investigation) in your summons, you should have used the word chaukashi (inquiry),” judge Tahiliyani told Sanjay Kale, investigating officer in the case.

Vora’s ABA said a day before Babajee hung herself in her rented Pali Hill apartment, he was in Bandra for a client meting. He went to Babajee’s house at 6pm since she had invited him. Vora says he had a ‘normal chat’ and a couple of drinks with her. “She was depressed, lonely and was taking some kind of medicines. She was smoking a lot,” Vora said in his ABA. She insisted that he throw a party on his birthday on June 26, but he refused, saying he did not wish to since his father had passed away in August 2009.

Vora said she spoke of her broken relationship and how her ex-boyfriend was making her business life difficult. “She was missing her family and wanted to change her career and business.”

The broker left Babajee’s house at 8pm and asked her not to smoke so much and “keep her cool”. At about 8.45pm when Vora reached his house, he got a call from Babajee, but couldn’t understand what she said. He presumed she had drunk too much. Vora, however, mentioned that she was “talking something hysteric”. He advised her to stop drinking and go to sleep.

Vora said he was “shocked and stunned” to hear about her suicide. He claims he was even heading to Babajee’s house, but his friends and family advised him to return since his name was being linked to her death.

Vora’s ABA gives a detailed account of the relationship he shared with Babajee. The broker states he had known Babajee for two months, of which he was abroad for a month.

The two were introduced in April and got further acquainted through Facebook. Vora, a Napean Sea Road resident, states Babajee was going through a bad patch due to her unsuccessful attempts at acting, business losses and a rough relationship with her former boyfriend and huge monetary losses in the business venture they started. Vora says Babajee needed him as a “good friend and required his advice on commercial aspects.” They usually met on weekends and even went out together.

He said Babajee was in the habit of taking sleeping pills and spoke about “depressive things.” He found she was “confused, disturbed and lost in some philosophical talks where she would discuss some third world and outer world”. Vora said he often tried to console her and motivated her to start her modelling career afresh.

Gautam Vora said Viveka Babajee was taking a pill named Zoloft. “It is a very good anti-depressant pill. If she had been taking this pill, then it is definite that she was under the treatment of a psychiatrist, as only a qualified psychiatrist can prescribe these pills,” a psychiastrist said. “It is a pure anti-depressant and not an anti-anxiety pill.”