EVIDENCE REF: E06 ยท CASE CB-03 ยท PACK A
WITNESS STATEMENT โ€” SECURITY PERSONNEL
Prakash Ramesh Thorat โ€” ICC Trade Tower Security Guard
Pune Police โ€” Shivajinagar Station ยท Case No. PPD-2025-0488 Recorded: 7 March 2025, 02:15 AM ยท Recording Officer: SI Prashant Mane
Witness Details
FieldDetails
Full NamePrakash Ramesh Thorat
Age38 years
OccupationSenior Security Guard โ€” ICC Trade Tower, Senapati Bapat Road, Pune
EmployerSecureShield Services Pvt. Ltd. (contracted by ICC Management)
Shift on 6 March16:00 โ€“ 00:00 (Afternoon/Evening Shift)
Badge NumberPT-4402
Statement โ€” As Recorded
"I have been working at ICC Trade Tower for about three years now. I know the regular people โ€” the office staff, the partners. Mr. Vikram Desai I see almost every day. He is usually one of the last to leave.

On the evening of 6th March, I was on my regular floor rounds. I do the 14th floor check around 21:00 to 21:15 every night. When I came to the 14th floor corridor at roughly 21:10 or 21:15 โ€” I cannot be more precise without checking my log โ€” I noticed the light was still on in Room 1401, which is normal for Mr. Desai. I knocked. No answer. I tried the door and it opened. That is when I saw him on the floor.

He was lying near the bookshelf area. I called out to him, then I went closer. He was not moving. I called the control room downstairs immediately and then I called 100.

Earlier in the evening โ€” I believe it was around 8 o'clock or a little after โ€” I was at the lobby desk. I saw a lady from the 14th floor โ€” one of the lawyers โ€” coming out of the lift and heading toward the exit. She was carrying her bag and her jacket was over her arm. She said something like 'just finishing up' as she passed me. I know her face โ€” she has an office on the 14th floor โ€” but I was not fully focused at that moment. I cannot tell you the exact time. The CCTV will be more accurate.

The businessman who came as a visitor โ€” I checked him in myself at 19:45 and he checked out around 20:15 or 20:20. He signed the visitor register. I remember because he had a very good watch.

I did not see any other persons coming or going from the 14th floor in that period who I did not recognise. I did not hear any shouting or banging. The 14th floor offices are on the inner side of the building โ€” noise does not carry well to the corridor from inside the rooms."
Supplementary Notes โ€” SI Mane
Witness appeared cooperative and non-evasive throughout interview. His account of discovering the body is consistent with the call log from ICC control room (call received 21:15:44) and his own mobile activity. The "lady from the 14th floor" described as exiting around 8 o'clock has not been formally identified by witness from a photograph at this stage โ€” CCTV review has since confirmed Reena Mehrotra as the individual departing lobby at 21:18:04 (cross-reference: E03). Witness's recollection of the visitor's checkout time (20:15โ€“20:20) is consistent with visitor log and CCTV (Siddharth Kapoor โ€” 20:20:47).
Prakash Ramesh Thorat
Witness โ€” Signature
SI Prashant Mane โ€” PPD/SNJR/1182
Recording Officer
Date: 7 March 2025
Time: 02:48 AM
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