Man found dead in locked car in Kalkaji, probe on

NEW DELHI: A distressing call was received at Kalkaji police station reporting a dead body inside a parked Ford car on Thursday morning. Upon arrival at the scene, local police discovered an old grey Ford car parked in front of Pahadpur Business Centre, near Devika Tower in Nehru Place, Kalkaji, the officials informed.

Inside, a man was found deceased in the driver’s seat, with blood splattered around him and bleeding from his nose.

The car doors were locked, necessitating police to break the rear glass to gain access. Inside, they found a male, approximately 35-40 years old, dead on the steering wheel.

The victim exhibited burn injuries on his face, thigh, and both hands. There was a strong smell of petrol inside the car, with the deceased’s hair fully roasted, the steering wheel partially burnt, and soot present on his T-shirt.

A crushed water bottle and a used match stick were also found on the front seat, Rajesh Deo, DCP South East Delhi said.

CCTV footage from the area revealed that the deceased had arrived at the location around 3:30 am. Approximately seven minutes later, a significant flame was observed in the car, which subsided after about one minute.

The deceased has been identified as Dhruv Mahajan (34) residing at B-118 Dayanand Colony, Lajpat Nagar, Delhi.

Preliminary findings suggest that Dhruv attempted to immolate himself, but the fire did not fully engulf the car.

He likely suffered nasal bleeding due to hypoxia stress and asphyxiated to death.

Dhruv’s sister, Poorvi Mahajan, residing in Bangalore, informed authorities that he was in significant debt, Deo mentioned.

Dhruv Mahajan’s body has been sent to AIIMS hospital for a post-mortem examination.

Inquest proceedings are underway to determine the exact circumstances surrounding his death, the

official added.