Migrant couple found dead at home in Delhi; police suspect 'suffocation' due to brazier

Prima facie, it seemed that the couple died in their sleep due to the "smoke of fire and suffocation" caused by a coal brazier kept inside their room, officials said.

According to the police, the deceased couple hailed from Uttar Pradesh and were working as migrant workers in Delhi.

Around 9:30 am, Dwarka-Sector-23 Police received a call from neighbours stating that the child is crying, and the parents are lying on the floor.

They said that the door of the room was not open. The neighbours broke open the window and found the couple lying on the floor, then informed the police, officials said.

Upon receiving information, a team of police reached the spot and shifted Manav, his wife Neha, and their two-month-old son to Indira Gandhi Hospital.

"Manav and his wife Neha were declared dead at the hospital, but their 2-month-old child survived," police said.

Their neighbour, Sunil Sahni, told ANI that the couple did not come out of their house until 9:30. Concerned neighbours attempted to look inside and found the couple lying on the floor. "We informed the police, and after breaking down the door, both were taken to the hospital," he said.

Sahni, however, said that they were not aware of the exact reason behind the couple's death.

Manav's paternal uncle, Pramod Kumar, said that around 10:00 in the morning today, he received a call informing him of the death of his brother and sister-in-law. Upon reaching their home, he found that both bodies had been sent to the hospital for post-mortem examination.

Officials said that a preliminary inquiry conducted by the police on the spot revealed that, prima facie, the incident occurred due to the "smoke of fire" and "suffocation" caused by a coal brazier (or angeethi) in the closed room.

An inspection of the scene has been conducted by the forensic team, and inquest proceedings under Section 174 CrPC are being carried out, they added. (ANI)