Friends and relatives of the Oman-based Indian businessman Philiph Raju, who fell from a high-rise building in Andheri, Mumbai, are shell-shocked about his death and some of his acquaintances believe the true picture is yet to unravel.
Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Indian community members said they were baffled by the sudden death of Raju.
One source said: “I don’t know how far it is true that he was the fifth richest Indian in Oman. Some Indian newspapers projected him as the fifth richest man in Oman, which is not true. He was no longer working with the Lama Polyclinic chain.”
He worked hard to develop business into a big chain of clinics but he quit under hostile circumstances along with his wife Dr Molly Philip.
“When he quit the job as CEO of Lama Polyclinic, his wife also resigned. Later she was called back and there was a big advertisement in local newspapers welcoming her to the Clinic. Now she is gone to Mumbai to oversee the funeral. The clinic gave a big condolence advertisement in Oman newspaper,” said an Indian friend of Raju.
Sources said he was a hardworking man and turned the clinics into a major business; he led an affluent lifestyle, driving posh cars and the latest addition was a Bentley. He had also invested in a major hotel in Muscat with two other partners.
“In 1992, Lama was just a small clinic with two doctors. Now it is a big chain of polyclinics and a lot of his hard work is involved in making it a success story. His wife has been working there since the beginning,” a family friend said.
Raju had investments in London, Saudi Arabia and India.
On the day of the crime, he went to meet the real estate broker with his relative but it seems the manager told him to come alone, said a source familiar with the Raju family.
“Real estate deals in Mumbai involve cash payment and two flats in that building would cost several million rupees. On that day he was carrying cash with him,” the source said. CCTV footage of the victim entering and leaving the building is already viral on YouTube.
Quoting Mumbai police officials, the ‘Times of India’ has reported that the case has been registered as a murder. A second postmortem of the body was conducted and Mumbai Police is investigating the case. Raju had paid Rs3.5 crore to the real estate agent on that day, according to the report.
The Mumbai Mirror, a leading tabloid from Mumbai, reported that a bloodstained shirt was spotted in the building where Raju fell and that the sales manager of the real estate company’s mobile also contained some suspicious messages.
