The bodies were recovered by Gaurav’s friend Amit who saw the deceased’s Accent car parked outside the Oriental Bank of Commerce in Sector 19. Ananya’s two-wheeler was parked beside the car. According to the police, Amit saw the two seated inside the car but when he knocked on the window there was no response. He broke the window only to find the duo unconscious. He took them to the General Hospital in Sector 16 where doctors declared them dead on arrival.

Amit told Newsline that Gaurav had left home in the morning, saying he was going to the lake. When he did not return home in the evening, his sister called up his friends and they started looking for him.

Doctors at GH-16 said the cause of death could have been the leakage of gas from the car’s air-conditioner, which was on even though the car was not moving. They added that it could also be a case of suicide since there was no injury mark on the bodies. The exact cause of death would be, however, known only after the postmortem report, said the doctors.

Eyewitnesses, meanwhile, said they smelt something peculiar in the car and saw froth coming out of the duo’s mouths.

Gaurav lived with his sister and mother. While his sister is a homoeopath, his mother is a government employee. DSP (East) J S Cheema said it appeared to be a case of suicide, adding that further investigations were on to ascertain the exact cause of death. The police said they found liquor bottles from the car.