Poison drunk ‘mistakenly’

KUALA LUMPUR: Actress K. Sujatha called Maika Holdings’ chief executive officer S. Vell Paari twice on the day she was admitted to hospital for allegedly drinking the weedkiller paraquat, an inquest heard.

Vell Paari, the son of MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, told the inquest into the woman’s death yesterday that the relationship between him and Sujatha was strictly that of an employer and employee.

Sujatha, who worked as his personal assistant and corporate communications department head, was believed to have died on June 25, 2007 from drinking the poison.

The first day of the inquest into her mysterious death revealed that she had first called Vell Paari at about 6pm on June 19, 2007 to ask his permission to come to his house so he could sign a few documents and cheques.

When he said he would meet her the next day to sign the papers, Sujatha called again 15 minutes later but this time said she was unwell with stomach pain.

“She said she wanted to take the next day off,” said Vell Paari when questioned by deputy public prosecutor Geethan Ram Vincent at the magistrates court here.

He offered to drive her to the hospital but upon arrival at her condominium in Jalan Ipoh, Sujatha told him that she needed time to change and would call him when she was ready. Vell Paari then left the condominium to go to Odeon Cinema to check on some tickets he wanted to buy.

While on his way there, Sujatha’s brother Yugenthiran called his cell phone to inform him that Sujatha had drunk paraquat.

When Vell Paari contacted Sujatha, she kept repeating (in Tamil) “theriyaama kudichiten”, which meant she had unknowingly drunk something.

Vell Paari went back to the condominium and contacted his cousin Dr S.P. Sakthiveloo, a doctor at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang where Sujatha was later brought in for treatment.

When he asked Dr Sakthiveloo which hospital she should be sent to, the latter said the best thing to do was to take her to a government hospital, as drinking poison was a legal issue and most private hospitals would not accept such cases.

Vell Paari then agreed with his suggestion to go to the hospital in Klang. After he picked up Sujatha and Dr Sakthiveloo, they arrived at the hospital at about 7.40pm.

When DPP Geethan pointed out that Hospital Kuala Lumpur was the medical centre closest to Sujatha’s home and it would have been faster to send her there, Vell Paari replied: “Yes, it would”.

DPP Geethan also asked why Vell Paari had not asked Dr Sakthiveloo to go directly to the hospital to save time, to which Vell Paari answered that the idea had not occurred to him as they were confused at that time.

The inquest before coroner Mohd Faizi Che Abu continues today.