Hours after firing at his business partner and absconding, Dr P. Shashi Kumar was found dead at a farmhouse on the city’s outskirts on Tuesday morning. The police says that Dr Kumar committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with his licensed 0.32 revolver at the farmhouse at Nakkalapally in Moinabad mandal of Ranga Reddy district.
Dr Kumar left behind a suicide note stating that he “did not kill” his partner Dr Uday Kumar Rachakonda. The police suspects that he might have thought that Dr Uday Kumar was dead, though he actually suffered a minor injury. The suicide note also stated that five people, including his two partners — Dr Uday Kumar and Dr Sai Kumar — had cheated him to the tune of Rs 1.3 crore. Dr Shashi Kumar also requested the police to take action against the five.
“I did not kill Uday. Sai Kumar fired at Uday taking my revolver,” he stated in the suicide note found near his body. He alleged that Dr Uday Kumar, Dr Sai Kumar, Obul Reddy, Rama Rao, and K.K. Reddy owed him Rs 1.3 crore and they had cheated him, said Moinabad inspector G. Srinivas. Senior police officials from Cyberabad said that they would investigate into the allegation made by the deceased. In the suicide note he also said that he would try to be a better husband and a father in his next life.
Earlier, Hyderabad police had launched a manhunt for Dr Shashi Kumar after he fired at his partner Dr Uday Kumar in a parked car at Himayatnagar following a dispute over partnership matters of their newly set up hospital named Laurel in Madhapur.
Though he was shot at a point-blank range, Dr Uday Kumar only sustained an injury on his left ear and neck. He was admitted in a private hospital where his condition is stated to be stable. The police had booked a case against Dr Shashi Kumar for attempt to murder.
After Dr Shashi Kumar fled, during the manhunt, police received information that he was at his friend’s farmhouse. A police team reached there post-midnight and found his body in a pool of blood.
“He shot himself on the right side of the forehead. The bullet came out from the left side,” said inspector Srinivas, adding that the incident must have taken place between 9.30 and 10 pm.
The body was shifted to Osmania General Hospital morgue for post-mortem. Moinabad police has booked a case for suspicious death.
The three doctors were partners in Laurel hospital in Madhapur, which started operating on January 1 this year. Dr Shashi Kumar, who invested Rs 75 lakh in the venture, was angry because he felt that he was being sidelined by his two partners and wanted his investment to be returned.
“Dr Uday Kumar and Dr Sai Kumar became managing director and CEO of the new 100-bedded hospital respectively. Dr Shashi Kumar was kept as only a director among several other investors. He had earlier complained that he was not given due importance when it came to management matters,” Central Zone DCP V.B. Kamalasan Reddy had said earlier.
On Monday afternoon, Dr Shashi Kumar had invited the other two partners for a meeting in the evening. While they were talking inside the Volkswagen car at Street No. 6 in Himayatnagar, an argument started during which he suddenly took out his pistol and fired at Dr Uday Kumar.
Meanwhil, the Central Zone police recorded the statement of Dr Sai Kumar, who witnessed Dr Shashi Kumar firing at Dr Uday Kumar. A judicial magistrate also recorded the “dying declaration” of Dr Uday Kumar who is the ICU.
Talking to the media, Dr. Sai Kumar denied allegations made against him by Dr Shashi Kumar, in his suicide note, and his wife.
“There is no truth in that. Let the police investigate,” Dr Sai Kumar said.