Ahmedabad: Thirteen days after his wedding, 25-year-old Rishabh Patel, a resident of Sughad, was found dead in the Narmada canal near Raipur village in Gandhinagar. Based on notes found from Rishabh’s car, police have book four persons for abetment of suicide, voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation.Rishabh, who was handling his family’s construction business, had gone missing on Sunday (Jan 25). His body was recovered on Wednesday (Jan 28), following a search triggered by the discovery of his car abandoned near a pan parlour close to the canal. The Infocity police registered an FIR based on a suicide note recovered from the vehicle.
The accused have been identified as Kalpesh Patel of Koba, Manish Patel, Kishal Patel — both residents of Nana Chiloda — and Mahipalsinh Tajulsinh, owner of a pan parlour in Nana Chiloda. The complaint was lodged by Rishabh’s father, Pravin Patel.According to the complaint, Rishabh left home on Sunday afternoon after lunch, saying he was going to the construction site in Karai. Later, the family learned that he had gone to collect his car from a service centre in Naroda. By evening, his phone was switched off, prompting family and relatives to search for him through the night.On Monday, the family traced his car parked near “Bahuchar Pan Parlour” in Raipur village. The pan parlour operator told them that a man had arrived in the car around 8.30 pm on Sunday, got down and walked towards the canal, but did not return. The vehicle was found unlocked, with the keys inside.Inside the car, the family recovered two handwritten pages in red ink, identified as Rishabh’s suicide note. In it, he alleged sustained harassment, threats and assault by the accused over the past few days, stating that their actions had driven him to take the extreme step. A separate line addressed to his wife, Heli — whom he had married on Jan 12 —stated that “your own people forced me to commit suicide,” urging that those responsible be punished. He also mentioned in the note that the accused had assaulted him in the market place a day before he went missing.Police have seized the suicide note and initiated legal action based on its contents. Officials said investigation was underway, and further charges may be added as the probe progresses.
