Mumbai, Feb 18 (IANS): A prominent diamond merchant jumped off the 15th floor of a commercial building in south Mumbai here on Tuesday morning, police said.

The deceased has been identified as Dhiren Chandrakant Shah, 61. He is survived by his wife and two children - a son in the US and a daughter in Dubai, said official sources.

According to police, Shah - one of the partners in N. Kumar & Company - jumped off the Prasad Chambers building near Opera House around 9.30 a.m., and was instantly killed.

He was rushed to the hospital but declared dead on admission and the body has been sent for an autopsy.

The police have recovered a brief purported suicide note from Shah's desk in which he said he was entirely responsible for the extreme step and nobody should be blamed for it.

The D.B. Marg Police, which is probing the matter, has filed an accidental death report and plan to record statements of his family members later.

A resident of Napean Sea Road, Shah had come to the office as usual and then left for a stroll on the building terrace from where he jumped to his death, sending shockwaves in the city's diamond and jewellery industry.