MANILA, Philippines - Supermodel and former beauty queen Viveka Babajee was found dead inside her apartment in Mumbai, India in an apparent suicide.
Babajee, a former Ms. Mauritius, was found hanging from a rope.
Reports said Babajee had an argument with her fiancé prior to the incident.
Babajee became controversial in the Philippines back in 1994 after she announced the name of Ruffa Gutierrez as the Best Actress in the Manila Film Festival instead of Aiko Melendez.
Babajee had just represented Ms. Mauritius in the Ms. World beauty pageant in Manila and was one of the announcers in the film festival. She left the Philippines after the scam.
Gutierrez eventually returned the Best Actress award.
In response to Babajee's death, Gutierrez tweeted, "R.I.P. Miss Viveka Babajee Miss Mauritius-World 1993, Bollywood Actress. You will be greatly missed! :( :( :("
Depressed
The news website, www.oneindia.in, citing police sources, said the 37-year-old Babajee "committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan at her residence."
"Neighbours rang the door bell, when they smelt of gas leakage from Viveka's house. But they didn't get any response, which made them to alert police," the website said. "Her family sources say that she was depressed after breaking up with her boyfriend, but the police have not recovered any suicide note from the house."
Oneindia.in also said Babajee has appeared "in numerous ads including Kamasutra condoms and Live In Jeans."
"She has also acted in a couple of Bollywood films including Yeh Kaisi Mohabbat. She shifted her base to Mumbai in mid- nineties from Mauritius for modeling career and she was staying alone after her bitter breakup with her boyfriend," the news website said.
Supermodel
Quoting a fashion designer Rohit Verma, The Times of India news website said Babajee "was supposed to take part in his fashion show next month and he was shocked to hear the news of her death."
It said Viveka was "declared a supermodel in 1994 and was one of the most-sought after faces nationally and internationally in the fashion world."
According to the The Telegraph India news website, "Viveka, a former Miss World contestant, had appeared in Kamasutra, Coca-Cola and Live In Jeans ads. She had also acted in a film called Yeh Kaisi Mohabbat, co-starring Sharad Kapoor and Deepak Tijori. The film bombed at the box office."
It said that "Viveka was born and brought up in Mauritius. She was crowned Miss Mauritius in 1993."
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