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Trader found dead at Ludhiana hotel: 30-year-old NRI held for culpable homicide
Police say while the victim seems to have died by drug overdose, exact cause will be determined through viscera examination
A day after a 45-year-old hosiery trader was found dead in a hotel in Bhadaur House, police on Friday arrested an Italy-based NRI for culpable homicide.
According to police, the NRI, Sandeep Kumar, 30, had checked into the hotel with the victim, Rahul Jain, on Tuesday.
While leaving on Wednesday, Kumar had told the hotel staff not to disturb Jain. A day later, the trader was found dead in the hotel room due to suspected drug overdose. Police had found syringes, a lighter and cigarette packets in the room.
Through CCTV footage, investigators also found another man with Kumar in the hotel and are working to trace him.
They said the NRI was nabbed from his native Partappura village in Phillaur. He had returned from Italy on February 4 and met Jain through an app.
Before checking into the Bhadaur House hotel on Tuesday, the two men had previously also met at a hotel on February 5.
Deceased left home citing pilgrimage
According to the deceased’s wife, Jyoti Jain, of New Kitchlu Nagar, her husband had left the house on Tuesday, stating that he was going to pay obeisance at Mata Chintpurni temple in Himachal Pradesh with his gym friends.
On Thursday, her nephew, Vineet Jain, informed her about his death in a hotel room.
Sub-inspector Harjit Singh, station house officer, Division Number 1 police station, said following a complaint by Jyoti Jain, they had booked Kumar under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code and arrested him from Phillaur. He will be produced in court on Saturday.
Kumar told the police that when he left the hotel on Wednesday, Jain was fine.
Meanwhile, the victim’s autopsy was conducted at the Ludhiana civil hospital and viscera samples were sent to the forensic science library in Kharar for further examination to establish the exact cause of death.
