Rediff.com

New Delhi, Jun 5: Rahul Mahajan, whose name is linked to a drug abuse case, was on Monday questioned by the police at the Apollo Hospital about his mystery ailment and the death of his aide Bibek Maitra.

Hospital sources said that Rahul was being questioned inside the Intensive Care Unit itself after doctors said he was fit to give a statement.

A team of police officials led by Ram Kishan, station house officer of the Mandir Marg police station, began recording the statement at about 11 am.

A medical team monitoring Rahul Mahajan's health on Monday found him fit to give a statement to the police.

Doctors have reviewed Rahul's situation on Monday morning and found him fit to give a statement and he is to be shifted out of the ICU, a medical bulletin of the Apollo hospital said in Delhi.

Carrying video cameras, a police team drove to the hospital to record the statement of 31-year-old Rahul.

"We have been told he is fit for a statement," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Manish Aggarwal told PTI.

Police, he said, have also issued a notice to the doctors to appear for questioning regarding the treatment they gave to Mahajan.

Police also see a surprise delay in reporting the death of Maitra and Mahajan's illness to them.

"There has been a definite delay from both sides to report the matter to the police. The hospital too was a good two hours late in reporting," Aggarwal said.

Asked what action could be taken against Rahul who is suspected of drug use, the Additional DCP maintained it would depend upon the evidence.

"We will strictly go as per the evidence. We have all along been impartial," he remarked.

Also, Aggarwal said police were in the process of obtaining the post-mortem report of Maitra from the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory.

AIIMS, which conducted the autopsy, has sent the report to the CFSL.

The three suspected Nigerian drug peddlers, who were arrested on Sunday night, will be produced before the court later in the day.

Aggarwal said police would request their custody for interrogation.

Police, he added, were continuing their interrogation of Sahil Zaroo, who is in custody for allegedly obtaining drugs for Mahajan and Maitra.

Doctors at the Apollo Hospital had denied permission to Delhi police to question Rahul on Sunday on the ground that he was not medically fit.

Rahul has been taking food orally and has been communicating with the members of his family and is likely to be shifted out of the intensive care unit sometime on Monday morning.

Medical Director of Apollo Hospital Dr Anupam Sibal has been asked to meet the members of the investigating team at Tuglak Road police station to explain the shifting of stand on the presence of drugs in Rahul's urine.

On Sunday the hospital said that some traces of drugs were found in Rahul's urine while the doctors of the same hospital had ruled out presence of any foreign particles and had maintained the tests conducted had shown negative results.

The police has also asked Sudhanshu Mittal, the money bag of the BJP, to join in investigations as he was the one who had handed over two drug pouches from the persons of Maitra and Rahul to Delhi police soon after the two were removed to hospital.

Mittal refused to respond to a call from rediff.com and his servant said he was taking rest before going to the police station.

Delhi police has arrested Sahil Zaroo, who purchased the drugs on instructions of Maitra from a Nigerian. Sahil has confessed his role in the episode.

Sahil has a case of drug abuse pending in Mumbai. Delhi police, according to sources, is moving slowly to prepare ground work for Rahul's arrest once he is discharged from the hospital.