DEHRADUN: Police on Friday arrested Anil Kumar Gupta and Ajay Kumar Guptaalso referred to as the “Gupta brothers of South Africa“, on charges of abetment of suicide. The arrest comes after a prominent Dehradun-based builderSatinder Singh Sawhney (52), named them in a suicide note. He jumped off the terrace of a seven-floor apartment complex on Friday morning.
Originally hailing from Saharanpur, the Gupta family had gained notoriety for their extensive business ventures in South Africa where they were accused of large-scale corruption.A few years ago, the family’s involvement in a significant political scandal in the country, involving president Jacob Zuma, had made headlines across the globe.
The family had also stirred controversy by hosting weddings of two of their children in the environmentally fragile Auli in Garhwal Himalayas in 2019. The weddings, said to have cost Rs 200 cr, left behind a trail of garbage in the eco-sensitive area. Following the controversy in South Africa, the family came to India.
The builder’s suicide note, addressed to PM Modi and Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, accused the brothers of “coercion and interference in his projects.” Police sources said Sawhney had accused Anil and Ajay of “threatening him and his business partner to hand over two major construction projects in the city”. These allegations were reiterated in both the suicide note recovered by authorities and a formal complaint lodged by Sawhney’s son, Ranbir. Sawhney had lodged a complaint with the police on May 16 as well, which was under investigation.