RCC Bank manager booked for ice cream parlour chain owner’s suicide

Rajkot: The manager of Rajkot Commercial Co-operative Bank Ltd (RCC Bank) was booked on Sunday night for allegedly abetting the suicide of the owner of a prominent ice cream parlour chain in Rajkot.
Police said Pankaj Karia (50) had consumed pesticide in his car parked near Ramkrushna Nagar garden in Rajkot on Sunday afternoon. After committing the act, Karia sent a message on WhatsApp to his estranged wife Avani Raja (47) who lives in Vejalpur locality of Ahmedabad.
“When Avani called Karia, he told her that he had consumed pesticide. Avani then called up Rajkot police control room and 108 emergency ambulance service. After a while we called her up, informing her about the death of Karia,” said an official from Rajkot A division police station.
RCC Bank general manager Parshottam Pipadia was booked for suicide abatement after it was found that Karia, in his last message had named him as responsible for him ending life. Sources said that Pipadia and Karia had a dispute of over Rs 20 lakh that was result of some financial dealings between the two on personal as well as business front.
In his message, Karia alleged that Pipadia had siphoned off the money from his bank account. “Pipadia had been threatening to frame me in a false case and have me arrested for the past one and a half months. I am in depression because of this and hence take this drastic step,” Karia said in his last message.
The message that Karia sent to Avani is addressed to Rajkot police commissioner, where he has requested the CP to initiate a probe based on the account book which has details of financial transactions between him and Pipadia.
Karia had divorced Avani on July 22. The couple had no children. Karia was owner Maganlal Ice Cream Parlour, a well-known chain of ice cream shops in Rajkot, with one branch in Ahmedabad as well.