46-year-old bedridden man trapped in fire, charred to death in old Delhi

Iqbal was alone at home while his three daughters, son and wife had gone for a wedding. When he was sleeping inside his room, the house caught fire due to a short circuit.

A 46-year-old bed-ridden man was charred to death after he was trapped inside his home that caught fire in old Delhi’s Chandi Mahal area on Friday night.

Iqbal,who was charred to death.

According to the police, Iqbal was alone at home while his three daughters, son and wife had gone for a wedding. Iqbal, police said, was paralysed and could not move.

When he was sleeping inside his room, the house caught fire due to a short circuit. “He must have tried to shout for help, but since the incident happened late at night, no one came to help him,” a police officer said.

The neighbours who saw the smoke emanating from inside the house informed the fire services and called the PCR. A neighbour informed Iqbal’s wife.

“Four fire tenders were rushed to the spot after the call was received. It took us over half an hour to douse the flames. By the time the situation came under control, Iqbal had already died,” a fire official said.

Iqbal was taken to the hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. “He was charred to death. He sustained 80% burns. His body has been sent for postmortem,” a police officer said.

The police have initiated an investigation into the case to ascertain the cause of fire. “A short circuit appears to be the cause of fire but it has not been established yet. The investigation is on,” a police officer said.