Alcoholic man burnt in car fire lit something, reveals probe

Identifying the man who perished when the car he slept in went up in flames, Kodigehalli police suspect he ignited a mosquito coil or some other substance that started the blaze.

The deceased, Vinod (35), had been separated from his wife and was living with his mother Kantha, older brother Muniraju and sister.

Vinod, a resident of Doddabommasandra, became an alcoholic three years ago, when he quit his driving job. He had been less frequent to his house as he got drunk and slept in abandoned buildings, sheds or vehicles.

On March 29, Vinod got drunk and went to an empty spot in Devinagar Main Road where people park their old vehicles. He got into a Ford Escort around 12.10 am, alighted the car around 12.30 am, picked something up and got back in. Minutes later, the car went up in flames and Vinod died in the fire.

Police confirmed the details after reviewing the CCTV footage obtained from the cameras installed in the area. Subjecting the charred remains to post-mortem, police had tried ascertaining the identity of the deceased man, but cremated the remains when they could not.