Junior Engineer Found Dead in Burnt Car in Bargarh

Bargarh: In a shocking incident, a junior engineer posted in the Barapali block of Odisha’s Bargarh district was found dead inside a burnt car under mysterious circumstances on Friday. The deceased, identified as Chandrasekhar Jhadia, was discovered in a severely charred condition inside a parked vehicle near Haldipali Chhack.

The burnt car was first noticed by local passers-by, who alerted authorities after seeing smoke and detecting a foul smell emanating from the vehicle. Upon arrival, police recovered the body and initiated an investigation.

Preliminary assessments suggest that a possible air conditioner short circuit may have triggered the fire, although officials have not confirmed the exact cause. A scientific team has been deployed to analyze the incident, and police have not ruled out the possibility of foul play.

According to Jhadia’s wife, he left home around noon on Thursday and had been unresponsive to repeated phone calls throughout the evening and night. “I called him several times, but he didn’t answer. This morning, while on my way to work, I saw his car parked by the roadside and was devastated by what I saw,” she told reporters. “I’m not sure whether it was really caused by an AC short circuit.”

Barapali police have seized the vehicle and are continuing with a detailed probe to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the engineer’s death.