KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, April 30: A 55-year-old man who ran a travel agency business was found dead inside a stationary car which had caught fire in Bistupur around midnight.
The deceased was identified as N Mukund Rao, a resident of Outer Circle Road at South Park in Bistupur.
The recovered empty beer bottles, glass and a burned lighter from inside the car, suggest that the car might have accidentally caught fire with the drunken businessman sitting inside.
The car was found by a patrolling party in a burning condition on Diagonal Road near Gangotri Complex in Bistupur at about 2 am on Saturday. An hour later, a fire tender reached the spot and the firefighters swung into action as smoke was still billowing from inside the car.
During the fire fighting, the firemen managed to open the car’s door and found the charred body on the driving wheel. Later in the morning, the police recognised the man based on the car registration number and informed the family members who stay about half a kilometre away from the mishap spot.
The OC of Bistupur thana Vishnu Raut said that prima facie, it appeared to be an accidental case.
“The victim might have lit a cigarette in a drunken state inside the car, triggering a fire in the vehicle around midnight. Incidentally, he was burned inside the car,” said Raut.
The OC further said though it seemed to be an accidental death, they have shifted the body to the MGM college hospital mortuary for postmortem.
“We have found a Scooty belonging to the victim parked beside the burned car. We are trying to find out whether the businessman had fallen victim to any foul play. We have pressed a forensic expert team and are collecting CCTV footage of the scene for reaching a logical conclusion of the incident that resulted in the death of the man,” said the OC.
Raut said the victim is survived by his widow and two daughters. He pointed out they talked to the bereaved family members, but did not get anything that could have hinted at a suicide angle to the case, adding that the investigation is on.
