BENGALURU: A 65-year-old auto driver was burnt alive in his sleep after an electric two-wheeler which he had put to charge inside his house exploded at Murphy Town in Halasuru police limits in the early hours of Tuesday.
The deceased, Lourd Nathan, was a resident of 1st Square in Murphy Town. His son L Frank Anthony, a cab driver, filed a police complaint on the incident.
Nathan was staying alone on the ground floor, while Frank and his wife stay on the first floor of the same building. Around 3 am on Tuesday, they woke up to a loud explosion on the ground floor and immediately, a fire broke out. Frank rushed to the ground floor and managed to break open the door. He pulled out Nathan, who had sustained severe burns.
Nathan was rushed to Bowring Hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead. “Nathan is said to have gone to sleep around 11 pm on Monday after putting the electric two-wheeler to charge inside the house,” an officer said.
‘e-bike battery may have overheated’
“Nathan was sleeping close to the vehicle. The battery of the vehicle must have overheated and exploded. Forensic experts came to the spot and they will be able to throw light on the possible reasons for the explosion. The possibility of a short circuit too cannot be ruled out.
The electrical inspectorate will also submit a report,” said an officer. The body was shifted to the Bowring Hospital mortuary for the postmortem. The Halasuru police registered a case of unnatural death and are investigating further.
