Panic gripped the city after a 28-year-old hosiery trader, who went missing from his Rishi Nagar residence on Friday morning, was found dead inside his BMW car on the South City-Ladhowal Bypass near Malakpur by afternoon with a bullet injury. The police suspect suicide, stating that he allegedly shot himself with his licensed .45-bore pistol.
The deceased’s family owns a hosiery factory in the Bahadurke area. His father had lodged a missing person complaint at the Salem Tabri police station earlier in the day after he could not establish contact with his son.
The car was spotted by a patrolling police control room (PCR) team. The man was found dead on the front passenger seat, with his licensed pistol also recovered from the spot.
On receiving information, a team from the PAU police station, along with senior officers, including deputy commissioner of police (city) Alam Vijay Singh and ADCP, city 3, Dharavath Sai Prakash, reached the spot. A forensic team was also called to examine the scene.
ADCP Sai Prakash said the preliminary investigation points towards suicide. “The police and the forensic team examined the spot, and the probe suggests it is suicide. The victim owned a .45-bore pistol, which he used to shoot himself in the forehead near the temple. The weapon was also seized from the spot,” he said.
Asked why the victim was found in the front passenger seat rather than the driver’s seat, the ADCP said the reason was not yet known. He added that the investigation has ruled out the possibility of another person firing the shot or being present in the car.
{{/usCountry}}Asked why the victim was found in the front passenger seat rather than the driver’s seat, the ADCP said the reason was not yet known. He added that the investigation has ruled out the possibility of another person firing the shot or being present in the car.
{{/usCountry}}“The driver’s seat had bloodstains. Had someone been sitting there, the blood would have been on that person and the seat would have remained clean. There was also an exit mark of a bullet on the car window, but no entry mark, which rules out the possibility of someone firing from outside. Moreover, footage from several cameras showed the deceased alone in the car,” the officer said.
The ADCP added that the victim’s father had approached the Salem Tabri police earlier in the morning to report him missing as he was not responding to calls.
The police said proceedings under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) would be initiated.