Former Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta was found dead in his Noida flat.
Till late Tuesday night, the family had not lodged any complaint, though police said an inquiry had been initiated into the circumstances surrounding the death. Police recovered a one-page note in which the retired bureaucrat referred to his illnesses and stated that no one was responsible for his death. During his tenure at DTC, Mehta oversaw the transition away from the accident-prone Blue Line buses and the introduction of low-floor buses, which later became a familiar feature of Delhi’s roads. Two guards went to his flat and found him dead in one of the rooms. A police team and a relative living nearby arrived soon afterwards.
A forensic team examined the flat and collected evidence before the body was sent for an autopsy. Mehta’s wife last spoke to him on Saturday night, according to police. When repeated calls went unanswered on Sunday afternoon, family members alerted the society’s security staff.
He had been living alone at Central Vihar-2 in Noida for around five years.
Family members said Mehta had been suffering from hypertension, diabetes and other health problems, including tremors in his right hand and leg. His wife, also a retired Delhi-cadre IAS officer, and their son live in Dehradun, while their married daughter is based in London. Family members visited him in Noida from time to time.