Driver found Om Puri lying on the floor, bleeding

- January 07, 2017

Padma Shri awardee believed to have fallen on the floor after suffering heart attack at Oshiwara home

Om Puri, the versatile actor and thespian who delivered stellar, unforgettable performances throughout his career, passed away tragically at his Oshiwara home yesterday morning. The Padma Shri awardee was found lying on the floor, bleeding from his head. It was later known that the actor had suffered a fatal heart attack.

Sources said, “At around 7 am, when Puri’s driver reached his third-floor residence and rang the bell, there was no response. He got suspicious and raised an alarm. Puri’s neighbours gathered and managed to get duplicate keys to enter his home. Upon opening the door, they found Puri lying on the ground near his kitchen, bleeding from his head.” The driver, Puri’s wife Nandita and a few of his neighbours from the Oakland Park building then rushed him to the Cooper Hospital.

A doctor from the hospital said, “The post mortem of the actor was conducted late in the afternoon. The required samples to understand exact cause of death have been taken and they will be studied at the Kalina forensic lab. The primary cause of death is a heart attack. There was an injury on the left side of his head, which suggests that after suffering the heart attack, he fell to the ground.”

The hospital informed the Oshiwara police about the incident. The cops then recorded the statements of his wife and driver, conducted a panchnama of his house and registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR). Dr Ganesh Shinde, the dean of Cooper Hospital said, “A team of doctors conducted the post mortem and I had instructed them to expedite the process as much as possible. The report will be handed over to the police.”

Police says

Senior inspector of Oshiwara police station, Subhash Khanwilkar said, “The post mortem report is awaited. We have registered an ADR in the matter as per the process since the actor was declared dead before admission by the hospital.”