Ghaziabad Man Sleeps Inside Car With AC On, Found Dead In Morning

Ghaziabad: A 36-year-old driver, who had fallen asleep inside his cab after turning on the AC, was discovered dead near a traffic signal in Prahlad Garhi on Monday morning. Police suspect that Kallu Dubey, a resident of Sahibabad, died from suffocation after his WagonR ran out of petrol, causing the AC to automatically shut off along with the ignition. Despite the car having a CNG option, Dubey purportedly failed to awaken due to intoxication and switched to the alternate fuel supply system.

Police reported that his body was sent for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. Amlesh Pandey, Dubey's employer, became concerned and notified the police when the driver did not respond to repeated attempts to contact him by knocking on the door.

“I had been calling him since 7 in the morning because I had accepted a booking from a customer for the entire day. When he did not take calls, I had to cancel the booking,” said Pandey, who runs Priyanshi Tours and Travels, as per the Times of India report.

Dubey, who remained logged into his cab service provider’s portal, was located using his phone's GPS coordinates.

“I reached the liquor shop near which he had parked the car. He was inside and appeared to be sleeping. I knocked on the glass window several times, but he did not wake up. I called him too, but he didn’t respond,” Pandey said.

The car owner contacted Dubey's family and notified the police. He explained, "The glass window was broken only after the police arrived. We took him to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival."

According to Pandey, Dubey had been employed with him for three years. Dubey had recently returned from his hometown, Hamirpur, where he had gone in May due to his mother-in-law's passing. Pandey mentioned, "He returned five days ago and resumed work. His wife passed away eight years ago, leaving him with a six-year-old son."

Nimish Patil, DCP (trans-Hindon), stated that they received information about Dubey's death around 10 am. Patil suspected that Dubey had consumed a significant amount of alcohol on Sunday night and fell asleep inside his cab after turning on the AC. When the car ran out of petrol, the AC automatically shut off, but due to intoxication, Dubey did not realize this. Patil explained, "He suffocated to death as all the windows were rolled up. We have sent the body for an autopsy. More details on the cause of death will be known after the autopsy reports."

As of late Monday evening, no formal complaint had been filed with the police. Patil mentioned, "We are reviewing CCTV footage from nearby cameras to piece together the sequence of events. We have footage showing the driver being removed from the car."

Dr. BP Tyagi, who operates Harsh Hospital in the city, indicated that Dubey's death was likely due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Dr. Tyagi elaborated, "Once the AC turned off, the driver continued to inhale carbon monoxide. With all the windows rolled up, oxygen supply was cut off. The carbon monoxide mixed with his blood, preventing oxygen from reaching his heart and brain. This is likely the cause of his death."