In a freak incident, a man, under the influence of alcohol, died of suffocation as he slept inside an Omni in Banaswadi on Thursday.
The deceased, Vadivelu (36), a labourer who resided in Subbayyanapalya in Banaswadi, had been separated from his wife and two children.
A senior police official said an Omni parked at a garage for several months accidentally caught fire. Vadivelu was sleeping inside the vehicle when the fire broke out.
Around 11.45 pm, local resident Dinesh approached the Omni after noticing smoke emanating from the vehicle and found the man sleeping inside. He alerted the fire and emergency services before pulling out Vadivelu. The labourer was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Vadivelu slept in the Omni every night. The vehicle belonged to a Ritu Kumar, who gave the car for servicing. The police found Vadivelu’s clothes inside the vehicle.
The Banaswadi police have taken up a case against the car owner for negligence and abandoning the car for a year. Further investigations are on.