COIMBATORE: An inspector of police and his tenant died after the compressor of the refrigerator in his apartment in Nallur near Pollachi exploded on Thursday morning. As per police, P Sabarinath (41), a widower, was working as an inspector at Ayanavaram in Chennai. He owns a two-storey apartment in Nallur, and had rented out the ground floor to S Shanthi (38), who has separated from her husband and lives with her 15-year-old son.
Sabarinath joined the police department in January 2008, and rose through the ranks to become an inspector in August 2022. His wife died two years ago due to health issues and he allegedly was deep in debt. As he was posted in Chennai, Sabarinath left his daughter and mother under the care of his sister in Udumalaipet.
Four days ago, Sabarinath came to the home on medical leave. Whenever he comes home, Shanthi cooks for him, sources said. On Thursday morning, after sending her son to school, Shanthi went upstairs to prepare food. Around 11 am, neighbours heard a loud explosion and rushed to the house but it was locked from the inside. They broke open the door and saw thick smoke had engulfed the house. The kitchen was completely gutted. Sabarinath and Shanthi were found dead with their bodies charred.
Pollachi taluk Police and fire and rescue services team reached the spot and they found traces of refrigerator blast. Sources said the regulator of the LPG cylinder and the stove were open, and the room reeked of LPG. Since the refrigerator was in the kitchen, police suspect that a spark could have triggered the compressor to explode. Investigation is under way to ascertain the cause of the accident. The bodies were sent for postmortem.