MUMBAI: A Bollywood costume designer was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a well at a resort near Mumbai where he was partying.

Anil Cherian (43) was working on a film called ‘Bold Bollywood’ which is inspired by the life of actor Jiah Khan who committed suicide earlier this year. He was found dead on Monday.

One of his employees, Minal Gupta, went to a resort in Gorai village on Saturday to attend her cousin’s birthday party. Gupta had joined Anil’s office three months ago. “Minal, her cousin Aishwarya and eight male friends were at the party. While it was on, Anil called up Gupta. She told him she was at the bash and Anil asked if he could join them. After enquiring with her cousin, Gupta said he could,” said senior inspector Deepak Bagwe of Gorai police.

Anil took a train to Mira Road and sent a text to his wife about his plans. A youth attending the party picked him up on a two-wheeler from the station.

“The group had procured alcohol and Anil had four to five pegs. At 3.30am, he took his cellphone and walked out of the room probably to go to the washroom. When he did not return, the others assumed he had left for home,” Bagwe said.

On Sunday around 11am, Gupta and the others checked out of the resort. Around 4pm, Anil’s wife Shivani rang up Gupta to enquire about her husband’s whereabouts. When Gupta replied she was not aware, Shivani rushed to Gorai and filed a missing complaint.

The resort’s staff was drawing water from a well on Monday when they found Anil’s body in it. The police were called and the body fished out. His cellphone was also found in the well. “The well is 100-150ft from the room where the party was held. The resort exit was not brightly lit, so it is possible Anil veered towards the well. We are probing whether it was an accident or if there was any foul play,” Bagwe said.

An autopsy was conducted on Tuesday after Anil’s family arrived from Bangalore. The cause of death is not known yet. The police have registered a case of accidental death. The resort’s staff refused to comment.

Actor Shekhar Suman said he was numbed by the news of Anil’s death. “He was not only my stylist, but also a dear friend. He was full of life. But, for the last six months, he was disturbed and had cut all contact. I called him recently to invite him for an event and he said he would be there. I suspect foul play in his death. He could never have slipped into a well or ended his life. This is unbelievable,” he said.

