Bengaluru: In a shocking incident, Additional Commissioner of Commercial Taxes (Enforcement) D. K. Ravi, who had headed several raids on top real estate firms recently, was found dead in his flat on Tuesday evening. Initial probe suggested that he hanged himself, while the police are investigating further to find out the reason behind his suicide.

Mr Ravi, a 2009-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, was found hanging at St John’s Wood Apartment on Tavarekere Main Road in Suddaguntepalya. The incident came to light when his wife Kusuma and other family members came home at 6.30 pm and found him hanging.

City Police Commissioner M. N. Reddi said that prima facie, it was a case of suicide. “Mr Ravi, who had gone to office in the morning, returned around 11.15 am. His wife, who was staying in her father’s house in Mallathalli, tried to contact him over phone. As he did not answer the calls, she contacted his office where she was told he had left the office in the morning. She, along with other family members, rushed to the apartment and opened the door using a duplicate key. They were shocked to find him hanging in the bedroom.”

Read: What tipped IAS officer DK Ravi over edge?

He said, “Mr Ravi hanged himself from the ceiling fan, using a cloth.”

It was said that the officer, who was known for his clean image, was getting threat calls recently.

“Mr Ravi never approached the police and had not spoken about threat calls. But we will probe all angles. We will examine his phone calls and emails to know if he was getting such calls. Investigations are on to know the cases he was handling just before his suicide. We are also trying to ascertain whether any family dispute led him to take the extreme step,” Mr Reddi said.

Unconfirmed reports said that three strangers visited Mr Ravi at his flat before he was found dead. Mr Reddi said that it was pure ‘conjecture’. “The visitors’ log and CCTV footage are being examined. We have also spoken to his neighbours to collect information,” he said.

Forensic, sniffer dog and fingerprint squads collected evidence from the spot. A special team headed by DCP (South-East) Rohini Katoch has been formed to conduct the investigation.