Gurugram: Driver charred to death inside auto, identified

Auto-rickshaw driver Nanhe Lal, 50, died after his vehicle caught fire on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway, possibly due to a CNG leak.

The auto-rickshaw driver who was charred to death after his CNG vehicle caught fire earlier this week has been identified as 50-year-old Nanhe Lal, from Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, police said on Saturday.

The remains of the charred vehicle. (HT)

Police said the incident took place on April 27 near Hans Enclave on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway. The vehicle is suspected to have caught fire following a sudden blaze, triggered by a CNG leak or explosion.

According to commuters, the flames engulfed the vehicle within minutes and the driver was trapped inside. Fire tenders arrived at the spot and doused the fire, however had driver suffered 70% burn injuries and died within a few hours, said officials.

Police said that Lal lived in the Badshahpur area and had not been in contact with his family for four days since the day of the incident. His family approached the police, a few days after the incident, and identified the body.

Preliminary findings suggest that Lal might have been intoxicated at the time of the incident, according to his family members who spoke to him a few hours before the incident, police said.