2 dead after entering south Delhi sewer

During the probe, one of the deceased men was identified and efforts are being made to identify the other, police said

Two men died of inhaling poisonous gases after they entered a manhole opposite a luxury hotel on Mathura Road on Wednesday morning, the Delhi Police said, adding that the two are suspected to have entered the manhole to steal cable wires.

The two bodies were taken out and moved to a city hospital for postmortem. (AP/ Representational image)

Deputy commissioner of police (southeast), Rajesh Deo, said that one of the two deceased men has been identified as Salim, a resident of Batla House.

Police said they received information on Wednesday morning that a man was lying unconscious inside a sewer at the traffic signal opposite the hotel. However, when the police reached the spot, they found two people inside the sewer. “The two bodies were taken out and moved to a city hospital for postmortem. The crime team was called to the spot for inspection,” Deo added.

During the probe, one of the deceased men was identified and efforts are being made to identify the other, police said. “The man identified as Salim had criminal involvements. He had about 12 cases registered against him in several police stations across Delhi,” a senior police officer said.

Prime facie, police said they suspect the two had entered the sewer to steal cable wires but died after they inhaled poisonous gases.