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2 men sleeping in room with burning tandoor choke to death in Delhi’s Civil Lines
A tandoor with burnt wood and unwashed utensils on a table were found inside the packed room, prompting the police to suspect the oven was not put out before the two men, both of them domestic help, slept.
Two men sleeping next to a burning tandoor (clay oven) were choked to death inside their quarters at a bungalow in north Delhi’s Civil Lines on Thursday, police said.
A tandoor with burnt wood and unwashed utensils on a table were found inside the packed room, prompting the police to suspect the oven was not put out before the two men, both of them domestic help, slept.
A forensic team examined the spot after which Nupur Prasad, deputy commissioner of police (north), said there was no indication of foul play.
“The room was locked from inside when police and fire officials arrived. They broke the door,” said DCP Prasad.
In a similar incident on December 25, two friends died after inhaling carbon monoxide from a brazier (angithi) inside a flat in a west Delhi neighbourhood.
In Thursday’s case, the officer identified the dead men by their first names, Ranjeet, 45, and Chandan, 25. Natives of Bageshawar district of Uttarakhand, the two men were related as they had married two sisters.
The DCP said Ranjeet was working as a domestic help at the house. Located on Shri Ram Road in Civil Lines, the bungalow is owned by a businessman who owns a hotel in Lahori Gate, the officer said.
The wives and children of the two men lived in their villages.
“Ranjeet had brought Chandan to Delhi a fortnight ago. He had got him a job as his helper,” said Umesh, who hails from the same district.
On Wednesday night, the men had performed their chores and retired to their room located outside the bungalow but inside the walled property .
“It appears they had used the tandoor to cook rotis. It is unlikely they were using it for warmth,” said the DCP.
The room had a large window that was locked from inside. When they opened the door, the two men were found lying motionless inside. Chandan was on a bed while Ranjeet was on the floor.
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