Nitin Desai named 4 people in voice notes before suicide, criticised financial services firm: Report

Bollywood art director Nitin Chandrakant Desai left behind a series of voice notes prior to his alleged suicide on Wednesday, in which he criticised a financial services firm responsible for his company's financial struggles, said a PTI report.

According to Raigad police in Maharashtra, who are investigating the suicide, 11 audio clips were discovered in a voice recorder at Desai's office. These clips provided insights into his thoughts and circumstances.

One of the voice notes featured Desai expressing his company's inability to overcome its financial crisis due to the procedures employed by a financial services firm. The notes, ranging from four to twenty minutes in duration, captured various aspects of Desai's life story. Some of them shed light on his personal journey.

Police are considering calling in officials from the mentioned financial services firm for questioning in relation to the contents of the notes. Desai's company, ND's Art World Pvt Ltd, had reportedly defaulted on a loan repayment of Rs 252 crore, prompting the initiation of insolvency proceedings by the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal. Desai's financial troubles began with loans of Rs 185 crore obtained from ECL Finance in 2016 and 2018, with repayment issues surfacing in early 2020.

ECL Finance, a non-banking finance arm of the Edelweiss Group, was involved in these transactions. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis revealed that the role of the private lending firm would be scrutinised to determine whether Desai faced high interest rates and whether he was under significant mental stress.

Among the voice notes, Desai was noted to have mentioned four individuals. In one note, he appealed to the government to take control of his Karjat studio, aiming to provide a platform for artists and emerging talent. In another audio clip, he conveyed his sense of exhaustion, mentioning that he had traversed a long and challenging path and could not continue further. The device is currently in the custody of a forensic team. 

Nitin Chandrakant Desai, known for his work as an art director on notable films like 'Lagaan' and 'Jodhaa Akbar,' as well as the television show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati,' was found dead on the premises of his N D Studios in Karjat, Raigad district. The autopsy report confirmed the cause of death as hanging.

Investigations indicated that Desai had potentially planned his suicide a month prior, evidenced by a rope hanging from the center stage of his studio. The incident occurred between 4 am and 6 am, with Desai reportedly listening to a voice note before taking his own life. His final message in a recorded voice note echoed the words of a famous Marathi devotional song.

According to Somnath Gharge, the Superintendent of Police in Raigad, the autopsy report confirmed that the cause of death was hanging. The ongoing investigation suggests that Desai arrived at Mumbai airport from Delhi near midnight and subsequently arrived at his Karjat studio, located around 60 km away, at around 2 am on Wednesday. Following his arrival, he engaged in prayer at the temple situated within the studio premises. Later, he requested his attendant to join him for a walk around the studio premises.

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