Couple suffocates to death at Delhi grocery shop

Initial probe revealed that a short circuit outside the shop counter led to the blaze, and that the couple pulled down the shop shutters in panic, trapping themselves inside and falling unconscious.

NEW DELHI

Officers said that the shop was mostly stocked with everyday groceries and plastic packaged items, which likely intensified the blaze.

A 31-year-old man and his wife reportedly suffocated to death at their grocery store in Mundka on Friday evening, police said. An initial probe revealed that a short circuit outside the shop counter led to the blaze, and that the couple pulled down the shop shutters in panic, trapping themselves inside and falling unconscious.

Deputy commissioner of police (outer) Sachin Sharma identified the victims as Vineet, 31, and his wife Renu, 29.

“By the time they were pulled out and taken to a nearby hospital, doctors declared them dead,” Sharma said.

The Mundka police station received a call about the fire at around 9pm from the Lekhram Park near Tikri Kalan. When a police team reached the spot, a small grocery store outside a residential structure was found engulfed in flames. Officers broke open the shutter using wooden logs and rushed the couple to the hospital.

DCP Sharma said, “Plastic packets stored and hung near the counter caught fire and the flames spread rapidly. The couple could not exit due to heavy smoke.”

Police said crime and forensic teams collected evidence from the spot and a case was registered.

Officers said that the shop was small and mostly stocked with everyday groceries and plastic packaged items, which likely intensified the blaze. The presence of plastic hanging near exposed wiring is being examined by forensic experts, officers said.

The Delhi Fire Services said it took two fire tenders nearly an hour to control the blaze.Investigators are checking whether any inflammable substances were stored near electrical points and if routine safety precautions were being followed.

The bodies have been preserved for post-mortem examination.