JOIN USA 57-year-old Irish national was found dead under mysterious circumstances on Monday in a hotel at central Delhi’s Paharganj area. Though initial medical reports point towards a natural death, the police are investigating to check any foul play in the incident.
The deceased has been identified as James Stephen. His semi-decomposed body was recovered from room number 102 in Krishna Cottage at Chuna Mandi at around 3 am.
Hotel authorities said that James checked in alone on July 3, but did not come out of his room on Sunday. The incident came to light after hotel staff reported foul smell emanating from the room. A call was made to the police control room, after which the door of the room was barged open.
“When we reached at the spot, James’ body was found. There were no visible injury marks on the body,” said a police officer said. The body was preserved for post-mortem at Lady Hardinge Medical College.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Alok Kumar, initial investigation revealed that James died two-three days ago. “The exact cause of the death cannot be ascertained without the post-mortem report,” Kumar added.
The police officer also said, “We have contacted the embassy and the External Affairs Ministry to ascertain if he had a medical history.”
The body will be handed over to the embassy after post-mortem. The police have questioned the hotel staff and are checking the CCTV footage. “Two constables posted with Paharganj police station along with the staff of the hotel are analysing the footage. Entire clippings of the past five days are being checked, but we are yet to come across anything suspicious,” added the officer.
No case has been filed so far. The police said future course of action will depend on the post-mortem report and if suspicious activity is noticed in the CCTV footage.