Chikkaballapur (Karnataka), March 9 A 70-year-old man died after his car caught fire, leaving his body severely burned, police said on Monday.
The deceased, identified as Uday Kumar, a resident of Raghuvanahalli on Kanakapura Road in Bengaluru, was returning home from visiting his mother in his hometown when the incident occurred, police said.
The incident took place near Achepalli Cross in the Bagepalli taluk of Chikkaballapur district on Sunday, when he was returning home, police said.
Local police were alerted by passersby who noticed the car on fire. Fire tenders rushed to the scene and extinguished the blaze. However, the flames had spread rapidly through the vehicle, resulting in his death. Later, his charred body was recovered from the car, police said.
A senior police officer, citing preliminary investigation, said it appeared to be a case of suicide, as investigators found no evidence of an accident or a mechanical fault in the car that could have caused the fire.
"However, teams have collected samples and other evidence, and further investigation is underway to determine whether there was any technical fault that led to the fire," the officer said.