The body of an unidentified man was found in a car that was fully gutted in the Guindy industrial estate here late on Friday. The charred body is suspected to be that of Masilamani (66), a building contractor of Anna Nagar West Extension, who was reported missing since Thursday.
According to police sources, Masilamani, a retired engineer of the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board, was into the business of constructing buildings and he was working on a project in Kodungaiyur.
As his whereabouts were not known since Thursday, his brother Ananthanarayanan lodged a complaint with the Kodungaiyur police on Friday.
Around 9 p.m. on Friday, passers-by in the Guindy industrial estate area alerted the local police that a car was on flames.
When police reached there, the vehicle was completely damaged and a body was seen in it. Preliminary investigation confirmed that the car belonged to the contractor.
The car driver, Suresh, was absconding. Employees of Masilamani said he was carrying some cash on the day he went missing. Joint Commissioner of Police (South) Shanmuga Rajeswaran visited the scene. Special teams have been formed to investigate. Forensic experts were trying to ascertain the identity of the person found dead, the sources added.
“The cause of fire is under investigation. The possibility of sabotage cannot be ruled out. Police are checking the calls made on Masilamani's mobile phone. We are on the lookout of the car driver,” a police official said.
