A promising young stockbroker worried about losing his job in the City jumped to his death from a rooftop restaurant wearing his best suit and holding a glass of champagne.
Oxford graduate Anjool Malde walked into the eighth-floor Coq d'Argent in the City of London at lunchtime on Sunday, just two days before his 25th birthday, clad in a Hugo Boss suit. He then ordered a glass of champagne and made his way on to the roof terrace, before jumping to his death.
The stockbroker had a burgeoning career at Deutsche Bank and was also a successful entrepreneur, co-founding an events company called AlphaParties, which organises social gatherings for young professionals, students and interns in London.
Last night, the stockbroker's parents, Naina and Bharat, issued a joint statement which read: "We are absolutely devastated. Equally we are so touched by the warm words from his many, many friends that alluded both to his tremendous talent and positive, lively spirit. He was an inspiration to so many. He meant everything to us.
"Apparently he donned a Hugo Boss suit with matching designer accessories, treated himself to a glass of champagne at the much frequented, upmarket City restaurant Coq d'Argent, and jumped from an eighth-floor rooftop. Style meant everything to him and that's how he chose his exit."
A close friend of Mr Malde said he had been upset after his employers suspended his Bloomberg account, which gave him access to the financial markets and allowed him to communicate with other bankers.
He said: "All of us have heard he was about to be suspended by Deutsche Bank and he was upset about it. I know for certain that the bank deleted his Bloomberg account which was not a good sign."
A spokesman for Deutsche Bank said Mr Malde had been helping the company with "an inquiry into an IT matter" and was sent home from work early on Friday afternoon, but had not been suspended and had been expected to return to work this week.
He refused to go into details about the nature of the inquiry, adding: "We are deeply saddened by our colleague's death, and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this time."
City of London Police said Mr Malde's body was discovered lying on the pavement beside the restaurant by pedestrians at noon on Sunday, and that his death was not being treated as a suspicious.
The stockbroker had planned to celebrate his 25th birthday tonight at a champagne and canapés party at the Amuse Bouche bar in Soho. He had organised the event through his own company. It is not the first time someone has committed suicide by jumping from the roof of Coq d'Argent, a French restaurant popular with City bankers and financiers. In May 2007 Richard Ford, a 33-year-old City worker, died after throwing himself off the building and landing on top of a bus.
A spokesman for the restaurant's parent company, D&D London, said it was "too early" to comment on whether any changes would be made.
On his Facebook profile, Mr Malde listed his main interests as "Las Vegas, tropical islands, financial markets, restaurants, nightclubs, property, Jacuzzis, steam rooms, saunas". Last night, more than 420 of his friends had joined a group on the site dedicated to his memory.
Barry Bagirathan, 26, had known Mr Malde for six years and worked alongside him at Deutsche Bank. He said his friend had idolised Michael Jackson and had been extremely upset by his death, even writing an obituary for the singer, but described his sudden suicide as "absolutely out of character".
He said: "It's like a big punch in the stomach. When we first read it we thought it was some kind of joke. It was a surprise to us all, because he was a really strong person who took everything on the chin. We knew he was quite upset about MJ [Michael Jackson], but apart from that there was nothing unhappy going on in his life."
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