Viveka Babajee case: She had earlier tried to drive to her death

Supermodel Viveka Babajee’s suicide on June 25 was not her first attempt to end her life — she had tried to kill herself earlier by ramming her car into a wall, say police sources.

“One of Viveka’s sisters has revealed that she had attempted suicide a while ago. She had driven her car into a wall at high speed, but survived. It is still not clear whether she had consumed alcohol while committing this act. It is, however, certain that she has been under tremendous pressure since then,” said a senior police official, requesting anonymity.

The official added that the investigating team will now probe the earlier suicide bid in close detail. “It is important for us to know why she had tried to end her life then. We have to also ascertain whether the incident occurred in Mumbai, and when,” said the official.

Since the family is in trauma, the police have not been able to record their statements, and hence have not been able to form a clear picture of the incident. “We will speak to the family once it recuperates. Only then will we be able to learn whether they hold anyone responsible for Viveka’s suicide. Accordingly, we will decide our future course of action,” the official said.

On June 25, too, Viveka had tried various means to end her life.

She first left the cooking gas knob open, took sleeping pills, and later, after having a few drinks, she hung herself from the ceiling fan, the police said.

Meanwhile, the police have made a list of people Viveka knew, which includes her family members, friends in the industry, neighbours, her building’s security staff, and Gautam Vora. “We will start recording statements soon. When we asked Vora about his meeting with Viveka on the night of June 24, he gave us vague answers. We want to have a clear picture of the sequence of events on that night,” said the officer.