Mumbai:
The suicide of popular Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kissen's maid Ruby, seems to have opened a can of worms.
Investigations have revealed that the 21-year-old maid, who took the fatal plunge from the bathroom window of the actor's fourteenth floor flat in Garden Estate, Malad, last Friday, had reportedly attempted to flee from the family several times. One such aborted attempt at escape had transpired just a day prior to the deadly leap.
Just a day before her death, she had attempted to escape the building premises, but was intercepted by a security guard, who alerted Kissen's family members, and eventually escorted her back to the apartment.
"Usually, the fulltime maids do not venture out of the building, unless it was something important. A few days ago, we noticed Ruby moving out of the premises. We informed Kissen's family members of her suspicious behaviour, and she was called back to the flat," said Balkisan, supervisor of the building. Feroz, the liftman at the B-Wing at Garden Estate confirmed the incident, but refused to divulge details, fearing police inquiry.
RB Kadam, senior inspector of Bangur Nagar police station, confirmed Ruby's abortive attempt at escape, saying, "We learnt that the maid had attempted to leave Kissen's house a day before the incident. We are investigating this angle, along with other aspects of the case."
"We also learnt that Ruby had absconded from the house on two occasions. At one time, she remained untraceable for a stretch of seven days. We are still interrogating people and recording their statements to get as many leads as we can," Kadam added. The Bangur Nagar police recorded statements from the actor Ravi Kissen and his family last Saturday.
According to police sources, Ruby, who was a native of Jaipur, was an indecisive and short-tempered girl, who was depressed owing to an unhappy marriage. She was referred to Kissen's residence by one of his staffers, Sagar, whose statement is also being deemed important in the investigation by the police.
MiD DAY managed to obtain a first-person account of Kissen's dhobi Diwakar, who recalled a traumatic exchange that transpired between him and his employer a few months ago, when he was accosted by the actor after a few of the star's clothes went missing.
Sharing his horror with this correspondent, Diwakar said, "He paid a visit to my residence, and asked me to board his vehicle. When my wife questioned his intention, he claimed that he had a few inquiries to make. He then drove me to his house. As soon as I stepped into his house, he confined me in one of his rooms, and said that I would only be allowed to leave after I told him the truth about his missing clothes."
In the meantime, Diwakar's wife, who had smelt something fishy, approached the local police. "It is only after the cops accompanied me to Kissen's doorstep that he set my husband free. Since then, we decided not to render our services to the family," said Diwakar's wife.