Police are investigating if the man whose body was recovered from a burnt car in Palavakkam was murdered or a victim of a fire accident. The car went up in flames early on Thursday morning. Neelankarai police said the car, a Maruti Zen, was spotted near the St. John's Universal School in Palavakkam around 1 a.m. and smoke was emanating from the vehicle. A security guard on duty nearby noticed the car which was soon engulfed in flames with a man unconscious in the passenger’s seat in front.
The Fire Department received the fire alert call on the incident past 1.a.m. and a fire tender from Thiruvanmiyur fire station was rushed to the spot. The firemen battled the blaze for a few minutes but the car was charred. The body of the person inside the vehicle was burnt beyond recognition.
A police night patrol attached to the Neelankarai police reached the spot and carried out preliminary investigations. An ambulance was called in and the charred body was shifted to the Government Royapettah Hospital for post-mortem examination.
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Neelankarai police have registered a case of unnatural death and a special team is in the process of identifying the victim and the car involved. As the registration plates of the vehicle were charred, police have obtained the engine number and chassis number and are trying to ascertain the owner of the vehicle.