Probe Sought In Deaths of 4 Scientists

LONDON—The deaths of four scientists involved in defense research, and the mysterious disappearance of a fifth, are causing considerable speculation here. Although the police initially treated the incidents as unrelated, opposition politicians have highlighted what could be a significant common factor—the men all were involved with advanced signal processing and software. Last August Vimal Dajibhal, 24, a computer programmer with Marconi Underwater Systems, was found underneath a bri


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Last August Vimal Dajibhal, 24, a computer programmer with Marconi Underwater Systems, was found underneath a bridge in Bristol after an apparent suicide. Two months later another Marconi employee, Ashhad Sharif, 26, apparently killed himself by putting a noose around his neck, tying the rope to a tree and driving off in his car. The incident also occurred in Bristol, although Sharif worked for another Marconi division in London. In January Avtar Sinoh Gida, who was a friend of Dajibhal and was then completing a Ph.D. in acoustics technology at Loughborough University, was reported missing. He was testing underwater signals equipment for the Ministry of Defense. On March 30 defense engineer David Sands, 37, died after his car, loaded with petrol cans, crashed into an abandoned cafe in Hampshire. Sands was employed by Easame, a Marconi-owned company.

Home Secretary Douglas Hurd has instructed the police (who had previously claimed there ...

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