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Burnt body found in Lajpat Nagar
NEW DELHI: The semi-charred body of a 22-year-old man was found in mysterious circumstances in the basement of a building in south Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar on Tuesday
NEW DELHI: The semi-charred body of a 22-year-old man was found in mysterious circumstances in the basement of a building in south Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar on Tuesday evening.
The man, identified as Dharmendra Kumar, and his father ran a pool parlour in the rented basement for about 15 years, police said.
Dharmendra’s family said he was murdered and his body was set on fire. The family suspects the involvement of one of the owners of the building due to a longstanding dispute over the possession of the basement.
The police, on the other hand, called it a case of death due to accidental fire. They have, however, not ruled out the possibility of a conspiracy. Dharmendra’s autopsy report is awaited.
According to a fire department official, the owner of the building called the control room around 5.10pm and reported the incident.
Two fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was doused in less than 10 minutes. The local police were also informed.
After the flames were doused, fire officials along with some policemen entered the basement and found the semi-charred body of Dharmendra on the floor. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors pronounced him dead on admission. The building has offices of two banks on its ground floor.
“Around 5 pm, a security guard of the bank saw smoke coming out of the basement and informed me. I called the fire control room and the owner of the basement,” said the building owner. The banks were also evacuated.
Dharmendra’s father, Bhim Singh, said they were informed about the incident by the basement owner.
“We reached the basement and found that only one chair behind the counter was burnt. Another chair lying next to the burnt chair was intact. Even the snooker tables and entry-exit register of members were not damaged. Surprisingly, my son’s body was lying on the floor some 50-60 feet away from the burnt chair,” said Singh.
On Wednesday, the family approached the police and requested them to probe the case as a murder.
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