Man, woman found dead, 2 others unconscious in Gurugram club; police suspect asphyxiation

A man in his 50s and a woman were found dead and two others unconscious in a cabin at a club in the DLF Phase-3 area in Gurugram on Monday, with police suspecting it to be a case of asphyxiation from an angithi's smoke.

The man has been identified as Sanjeev Joshi, a resident of Hisar and the club owner's brother, they said.

He was in the cabin with three women. One of them died and the other two were found unconscious, police said.

The cabin, where they had gathered to celebrate one of the women's birthday around 2 am on Monday, had no ventilation. Due to the cold, an angithi -- a type of stove -- was lit, they said.

Because Sanjeev Joshi was the brother of the Knite Ryder club's owner Rajan Joshi, members of the staff did not disturb or check on them, and left for their homes, police said.

On Monday, around 5 pm, when the club was being cleaned, those working there went to the cabin and when they opened its door, the room was filled with smoke, they said.

They informed Rajan Joshi about the incident. He reached the spot and rushed all four to a private hospital where Sanjeev Joshi and the woman were declared brought dead, police said, adding that the other two women are undergoing treatment.

"Prima facie, it seems to be a case of death due to suffocation. The dead bodies have been sent for postmortem and further probe is underway," Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Virender Vij told PTI. He said a forensic team visited the site.

Police said they have not found any evidence of a fight in the cabin, but are probing all angles.