GHAZIABAD: A 36-year-old driver who had gone off to sleep inside his cab after switching on the AC was found dead near a traffic signal in Prahlad Garhi on Monday morning.
Police suspect Kallu Dubey, a resident of Sahibabad, choked to death after his WagonR ran out of petrol and the AC turned off on its own with the ignition. Although the car had a CNG option too, Dubey allegedly was too drunk to wake up and switch over the fuel supply system.
His body, police said, was sent for an autopsy to ascertain the actual cause of his death.
Dubey’s employer, Amlesh Pandey, alerted police when his driver did not open the door even after repeated knocks.
“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.
Dubey, who was still logged into his cab service provider’s portal, was tracked with the help of his phone location.
“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 called up Dubey’s family and informed police. “The glass window was broken only when cops arrived. We took him to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival,” he added.
According to Pandey, Dubey had been working for him for the past three years. He had gone to his hometown Hamirpur in May when his mother-in-law passed away.
“He returned five days ago and joined work. He had lost his wife eight years ago. He had a six-year-old son,” he said.
Nimish Patil, DCP (trans-Hindon), said they received information about the cabbie’s death around 10am.
“We suspect he had a bit too much to drink on Sunday night and went off to sleep inside his cab after turning on the AC. After the car ran out of petrol, the AC switched off automatically. But he was too drunk to realise that. He suffocated to death as all the windows were rolled up. We have sent the body for an autopsy. We can comment more on the cause of death only after the reports are available,” he added.
Till late on Monday evening, police hadn’t received any complaint. “We have been checking CCTV cameras installed nearby to find out the sequence of events. We have a video showing the driver being taken out of the car,” Patil said.
Dr BP Tyagi, who runs Harsh Hospital in the city, said it was a case of carbon monoxide poisoning.
“Once the AC turned off, the driver was inhaling carbon monoxide. Since the windows were all rolled up, oxygen supply was cut off. When carbon monoxide mixed with his blood, it stopped the flow of oxygen to his heart and brain as well. This could possibly be the cause of his death,” he added.