The Raichur branch manager of Karnataka Bank, S. S. Sundaram (45) and attendant Sharat (40) were found dead under mysterious circumstances at their branch office here on Sunday.
The police are waiting for the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report for ascertaining the exact cause of death. The police and the other employees who watched the Closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage have, however, reached to a common conclusion.
"It is clear case of death caused by suffocation. Neither were there external injuries on the bodies nor were there any signs of food-poisoning," a well-placed police officer who minutely watched the CCTV footage told The Hindu .
He came to office along with his attendant Sharat at 10.59 a.m. Upon the instruction of the manager, the attendant switched on the power-generator which was kept inside the office near the main door.
Neither of them, however, thought of opening the windows to let out the carbon monoxide from the power-generator. Even the main glass-door was completely closed. At 1.26 p.m, the attendant developed dizziness and fell down on the floor, which went unnoticed by the manager who was inside his chamber. By 1.56 p.m, the manager too came out of his chamber, apparently sensing something wrong with the air inside the office, and suddenly fell on the floor similarly.
By 4.30 p.m, the guard found both the employees lying on the ground. He alerted the other staff and shifted them to Rajiv Gandhi Super-speciality Hospital (RGSH) with the help of passers-by. The doctors at the hospital declared them brought dead.
"We rushed to the office soon after the security guard alerted us. The office was filled with carbon monoxide with all widows being closed," said Subhash V. Kamat, Assistant Manager of the branch.
