Delhi-based man’s body found in car in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag

A 47-year-old Delhi-based man was found dead in a car parked on a roadside in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand, on Tuesday morning, police said.

According to the Rudraprayag police, the deceased, identified as Anoop Singh, a resident of Sultanpur Road, North West Delhi, had left Delhi for a trip to Kausani region of Uttarakhand on April 10 with his two cousins, but dropped them near Rudraprayag on April 12, saying he will return to Delhi later. Police said they suspect that his death happened two-three days ago.

Police said they have recovered two almost empty liquor bottles from the car. The vehicle’s battery was dead due to prolonged use of AC.

According to police, there are no external injuries on the body and the cause of death can only be ascertained after an autopsy.

Circle officer, Rudraprayag, Vikas Pundir said at around 10 am, a representative of the Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd, working for the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) for the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag railway project near Narkota, informed the police that a body was lying in a red Baleno car bearing registration number DL 8 CAU 5661.

“Upon receiving the information, our team from Rudrprayag police station reached the spot. I along with my subordinates also reached the spot. A forensic field unit team from Pauri Garhwal also arrived at the scene. The team collected evidence and carried out necessary procedures at the scene. We then sent the body to the Rudrapryag district hospital for post-mortem examination,” he said.

The CO said, “Our station house officer (SHO) of Rudraprayag police station conducted a primary investigation. Based on the vehicle’s registration number, we obtained the contact information and called on the number linked with the car’s registration. The call was answered by a woman who informed that the car had been sold nearly a year ago via Car24.com. The woman then informed Car24.com of the matter, after which the deceased’s brother contacted the SHO.”

“He confirmed that the driver of the vehicle was his brother. He further informed that a few days earlier, on April 10, the deceased had left for a trip to the Kausani region of Uttarakhand from Delhi with two of their paternal cousins. On April 12, the deceased had dropped his cousins off near Rudraprayag, telling them to continue their journey without him, and that he would return to Delhi later, on his own. The cousins informed the family the same day that Anoop had dropped them off en route. Based on CCTV footage from Jawadi Check Post in Rudraprayag, the vehicle was last seen on April 12, around 3.30 pm, moving from Rudraprayag main market towards Srinagar.”

Manoj Negi, SHO of Rudraprayag, said, “The body is two-three days old. The stench prompted the people to see what was in the car. The panchayatnama and postmortem of the body will be carried out on Wednesday after the arrival of the deceased’s family.” “The body has no external injuries. It is possible that the deceased may have dozed off in an intoxicated state with AC on. The liquor bottles found in the car have been sent to a forensic laboratory for examination. But we can’t say anything conclusive before the autopsy.”

Police said the deceased was unemployed.