No foul play in Mahab car fire: Police

The deceased woman is Ramadevi (54), wife of Jayadevan, a resident of Chrompet. 

Police used the registration number of the vehicle to trace the address of car owner and subsequently identify the woman occupant. 

Police, however, are yet to identify the bodies of the two men who were also trapped inside the car. Mahabalipuram police said an electric short circuit had caused the fire accident, leading to the malfunctioning of the central locking system. All the three were inside the car with the air conditioner on when it caught fire, police said. 

“The car was parked in an open ground and a private security guard, who found fumes coming out of it, had rushed to the spot and tried to open the doors. But due to electric short circuit, the central locking system failed and all the three were trapped inside. Security guard had to pull back as the fire spread,” Mahabalipuram DSP Edward told DTNext. 

All the three were charred beyond recognition before the police and fire service put out the fire. The bodies were later shifted to Chengalpattu Government Hospital. Police traced the address of the registered owner of the car and identified the woman victim. “We could identify it as a woman’s body as it had a thali chain. The other two were men. We have informed the brother of Ramadevi and two of them are on the way to Chennai from Bangalore,” Edward said. 

Police said several people had seen the three inside the car and there was no chance for any foul play. “The security guard tried to save them and he had seen what had happened. So we have ruled out any foul play,” the DSP remarked. 

Mahabalipuram police hope to identify the remaining two victims after Ramadevi’s brothers reach Chennai. “We suspect that one of the victims could be Ramadevi’s husband. We hope to identify them with the help of Ramadevi’s brothers,” Edward said. The Mahabalipuram police have registered a case under Section 174 and are investigating.