A 30-year old man fell to his death on Monday from the north ring of Westgate Mall in West Nanjing Road in Shanghai.

The man surnamed Ni, 30, was a local of the Jing'an district of Shanghai, he fell at around 10:30 am and had passed away by the time police reached him.

According to family members of Ni, he was depressed over money before his death, the Jing'an district branch of Shanghai public security bureau said on its official micro blog on Monday night.

The close proximity of Ni's death to the US consulate led to speculation from micro-bloggers that his death may have been connected to his failure to secure a visa to that country. The online rumors were denied by authorities and the US consulate.

Police said the preliminary investigation ruled out homicide and further investigation of the case is under way.