Man dies of burns inside locked shop in Bihar's Siwan

Siwan, Nov 5 (PTI) A man died of burns inside a shop in Bihar's Siwan district, police said on Thursday.

    The incident occurred around 7.30 pm on Wednesday at Sarea village in the district.

    The deceased has been identified as Nadeem Hussain, a resident of Alawalpur under GB Nagar police station limits.

    "The fire service personnel opened the locked shop and rescued the man, who was taken to Sadar Hospital. He was subsequently referred to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) for better treatment but died on the way," GB Nagar SHO Manoj Kumar Singh told PTI.

    A post-mortem examination of the body was conducted on Thursday morning before it was handed over to the family, he said.

    The deceased used to sell petrol, diesel, paints and other items from the small shop. Preliminary investigation has not established the circumstances in which he caught fire, the SHO said.

    His wife filed an application stating she had no suspicion against anyone, Singh said, adding that the family made no allegation of foul play.

    Prima facie, it appears to be a case of suicide, but police have registered a case and are investigating the incident thoroughly, Singh said.

    Villagers protested on the streets alleging murder but were later dispersed by police, he said.

    A purported video of the deceased's sister is circulating on social media in which she could be seen alleging that acid was thrown on her brother before burning him alive in the locked shop by three unidentified persons. PTI, however, could not independently verify the video's authenticity.

    Police, however, refuted such allegations, saying that forensic examination did not reveal an acid attack.

    According to a statement issued by the SP office, "The forensic team examined the site and Nadeem's body, but no evidence of an acid attack was found. Siwan police clarified that the allegations of an acid attack are misleading and untrue."

    Police are investigating the case from all angles, it added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)