Pankit Vijay Shah (39), the Chief Business Officer of Samco Mutual Fund, is believed to have fallen to his death from the passage area on the fourth floor of the Chadha Premises Co-operative Housing Society building in Andheri East on Tuesday.
According to the Andheri police, who reviewed CCTV footage and spoke to two eyewitnesses, Shah fell while trying to retrieve a debit card that had landed on the overhanging eave of the third floor using a broom.
The card was later found on the eave by investigators, while the broom was discovered near the body. Shah’s family had filed a missing person complaint one day before the incident, but the Andheri police have found no evidence of foul play so far.
Authorities have registered an accidental death report and will record statements from Shah’s family members.
Friends speak
“A friend of ours has a tour and travel office on the fourth floor, where we would meet regularly. We often had meals and parties together.”
“About ten minutes before the incident, we were having a smoke outside the building. We were all laughing and enjoying ourselves. Pankit then told us that he was going up and would be back soon, but the unexpected happened.”
What witnesses said
According to the police, upon seeing Shah trying to retrieve his card, a man named Rafique, who was in the opposite building, shouted at him not to lean outside the window. However, Shah did not heed his warning.
The police also stated that a woman on the fourth floor of Chadha Society had cautioned Shah against retrieving the card in this manner. The Andheri police have recorded statements from both witnesses.
Police speak
“According to the preliminary investigation, it was an accidental death. We are also looking into why the family had registered a missing person complaint,” said DCP Datta Nalawade.
