Airtel executive’s Alto car catches fire,dies struggling to get out

The family got to know of the incident through TV.

Arora,an MBA graduate,was travelling on the Azadpur-Mukundpur road in North-West Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar area when his car burst into fire at 11.45 am.

His charred body was found in a tilted position in the passenger seat of the burnt car,indicating that he struggled to make his way out of the burning vehicle in his final moments. Shattered pieces of glass of the rear windshield that cracked lay strewn around behind the burnt car.

Eyewitnesses said Arora’s white Alto car moved a few metres before exploding and burning completely.

“When I saw the car from a distance,it had already caught fire and moved forward for about 60 metres before exploding. I thought I saw three people in the car but when I came closer,only one body was inside,” said Radhe,an eyewitness.

Arora’s family was traced with the help of the Alto’s registration plate. He was identified after his family noticed an iron-rod in his right hand.

“Pradeep met with an accident three years ago. He had suffered a fracture in his right elbow and a metal-rod was inserted in his right arm then,” said Arora’s elder brother,Surinder.

Police said a preliminary probe indicated that the mishap occurred due to the failure of the central locking system of the car.

“Prima facie ,it seems like an accident but we are not ruling out murder or foul play. There is a possibility that the central locking system got jammed,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (North West),Meenu Choudhary.

The officer added that the fire and safety inspection report from the car-manufacturing company would shed more light on the cause of the fire.