Police rule out murder in death of Tata Motors managing director

Police rule out murder in death of Tata Motors managing director

Police on Monday eliminated murder as the cause of death of Tata Motors managing director Karl Slym, who fell from the 22nd floor of a Bangkok hotel over the weekend.

Tata Motors managing director Karl Slym fell to is death from the 22nd floor of a five-star hotel in Bangkok on Sunday. (AFP Photo)

Slym, 51, fell to his death early Sunday from the Shangri-la Hotel, Police Lieutenant Somyot Boonyakeow said.

"We can rule out murder in this case," he said. "We are still investigating his death."

Slym had checked into the hotel with his wife on January 24 and was scheduled to check out Sunday, Manager news group reported.

Police said they found a three-page hand-written note in his room. The note was in English and police were translating it into Thai.

There was no sign of struggle inside the room, police said.

Tata Motors spokeswoman Minari Shah said police had informed them that an autopsy would be performed later Monday. She declined to comment on the possible cause of death.

"We have no additional details about his tragic demise. We are in constant touch with the authorities there," she said by phone from Mumbai.

Slym was in Bangkok to attend a meeting of the board of directors of Tata's subsidiary in Thailand.

Slym, a British national, was hired in 2012 to revive Tata's declining sales and market share in India. He was providing "leadership to the company through a challenging market environment", Tata Motors said.

Yaresh Kothari, an auto analyst with Angel Broking, said Slym's death was a setback for the company.

"Tata Motors was in the midst of a major business restructuring and modernisation exercise initiated by Slym to take on tough competition in the Indian market, which is in a slump. With his demise, there is a leadership vacuum in the company."

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers has forecast a prolonged decline in passenger vehicle sales in India through October amid an economic slowdown.

India's largest automaker, Tata Motors is the automotive arm of Tata Sons Ltd group, a conglomerate that includes steel, hotels, tea, energy and telecommunications businesses.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (6)