Three men were found dead and a fourth in an unconscious state inside the servants’ quarter of a bungalow in the posh South Delhi neighbourhood of Hauz Khas on Sunday.
The police suspect they suffocated due to a fire lit inside to keep themselves warm. All four worked for the family of businessman R.K. Oberoi, who lives in bungalow number L-2 in Hauz Khas Apartments.
According to the police, a female domestic help spotted the four lying unconscious around 11.30 a.m. inside the servants’ quarter, where they had been sleeping since the early hours of Sunday.
“When they did not turn up for work, the house owner sent her to call them. She alerted her employer immediately when she found Uday (45), Santosh (33), Munna (26) and Rajesh (24) lying unconscious,” said a police officer.
Mr. Oberoi called a doctor and admitted all four to a nearby hospital, where all except Uday were declared brought dead. The police was informed and the bodies shifted to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences for post-mortem.
Uday, who remains unconscious, was still in the ICU till late evening, sources said. Uday is a domestic help, while Santosh, Munna and Rajesh worked as driver, gardener and cook respectively.
The Hindu was denied access to the room. However, from what a relative of Santosh, who has been inside the room, could recall, the dimensions are small and it is not well ventilated.
Confirming this, the officer added that preliminary enquiry revealed the fire had reduced the supply of oxygen, leading to a rise in the concentration of carbon monoxide.
“The room is nearly 8x10 feet. There is no supply of fresh air unless the door is open. However, it was closed. We are probing further. Things will become clearer once the post-mortem report comes in,” he added.
