Couple fall asleep after lighting fire in room, die of asphyxiation
The bodies have been sent to civil hospital for post-mortem, notably, it is the second such incident in the past week
A Nepalese couple was found dead in their one-room rented accommodation at Focal Point Phase 5, Industrial Area. Police found burnt coal in the room and suspect that the couple died of asphyxiation.
The bodies have been sent to civil hospital for post-mortem. Notably, it is the second such incident in the past week.
The victims have been identified as Karan, 40, and his wife Kamla, 38. Karan’s co-workers were first to discover the bodies on Tuesday night. They broke into the rented accommodation after the couple did not answer the door despite repeated attempts.
Prem Kumar, a co-worker, said Karan had left the factory where they work early as he was not feeling well on Monday. When he did not turn up to work the next morning, they called him several times to no avail.
They also tried to contact his wife, who also works at a factory, but she also did not answer the calls either. Suspecting something wrong, they went to their room on Tuesday night. When no one responded despite persistent knocks at the door, they broke into the accommodation. They were shocked to find the couple’s e bodies in the room and informed the police.
Sharing further details, Focal Point Police station house officer (SHO) inspector Nardev Singh said it was suspected that the couple had fallen asleep after lighting a fire to keep the room warm.
As there was no ventilation in the room, the couple likely died of asphyxiation, the SHO said. The Inspector added that the cause of death would be ascertained after post-mortem. The couple has been living at the one-room accommodation for the last 10 years and they have no children.
Earlier on January 10, a two-year-old boy died of suffocation in Nagra village, Samrala in a similar incident. The incident took place after the family had placed an “angithi” (earthen stove) inside the room to keep it warm amid severe cold. The child’s parents survived..
Similarly, on November 5 last year, a man died of asphyxiation while two others were left seriously injured after a hosiery unit caught fire at narrow Gaushala road. The victims, who were sleeping in the rooms on the first floor of the building, were trapped as the flames engulfed the entire structure.
On January 14, a couple asphyxiated to death in their one room accommodation on the third floor of a godown in South Model Gram area. The couple had burnt coal and woods in the room to keep them warm.
