CBI begins probe into ‘mysterious’ death of Delhi hotel management graduate in 2017

New Delhi, Dec 21 The CBI has launched an investigation into the “mysterious” death of hotel management graduate Arnav Duggal, whose body was allegedly found hanging from a ceiling fan in his girlfriend’s flat in Delhi’s Dwarka neighbourhood in 2017.

The federal probe agency registered the case on the directions of the Delhi High Court, which, accepting the plea of 23-year-old Duggal’s parents about a shoddy probe by Delhi Police, handed over the probe to the CBI.

Superintendent of Police, CBI, Rajesh Kumar, approved the registration of a fresh FIR on Friday and started monitoring the re-examination of evidence.

Earlier, the victim’s parents, residents of West Patel Nagar, claimed that they had failed to contact their son on the night of the incident, during which Arnav partied with his female friend and others.

They alleged that they were informed about his death the next evening and shown his body by the local police in Shakuntalam Apartments, Dwarka Sector 10, at 5.25 p.m. on June 13, 2017. Arnav’s female friend lived in a flat in these Apartments.

A murder case over Arnav’s death was registered on February 22, 2018, at the direction of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM), who pulled up the local police for rejecting the family’s allegations of foul play and sticking to their own theory of suicide by the victim.

Apart from the disappearance of some key photographs from the police case file, Duggal’s family had alleged irregularities in the probe while knocking at the door of the CMM.

Later, their petition in the Delhi High Court seeking the transfer of the probe to the CBI stated that the “probe/investigation in this case has been unfair, tainted, mala fide and smacks of foul play, thus necessitating invocation of writ jurisdiction of this Court seeking transfer of investigation to CBI”.

The FIR registered by the CBI over Arnav’s death on Friday said, “The allegations in the FIR disclosed the commission of cognizable offence and accordingly, FIR No. 45/2018 dated 22.02.2018 u/s 302 IPC of PS Crime Branch is re-registered at CBI SC-I, New Delhi on 19.12.2025 and investigation is taken up by CBI by re-registering the same as Regular Case No RC.15(S)/2025/CBI/SC-I/New Delhi.”

Earlier, the High Court in its order on November 27, 2025, directed the CBI "to take up fresh investigation into the circumstances under which the death of the deceased occurred and take necessary consequential steps in accordance with law”.

“The CBI, apart from conducting the aforesaid investigation, would also require to conduct an enquiry into the lapses, if any, by the officers of the Delhi Police conducting the investigation, and if deliberate act for such omission or commission is revealed, a report be generated and furnished to the CMM and also to the Commissioner of Police who may take appropriate disciplinary action if so required," said Justice Tushar Rao Gedela of the Delhi High Court.

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