Ghaziabad: Police on Wednesday recovered a charred body of an unidentified person from inside a burnt auto-rickshaw in the Tronica City area, suspecting that the victim was killed and the body set on fire to conceal identity. According to the police, locals alerted them after spotting a burnt auto on Ghitora Road in the morning. On inspection, officers found a body placed in the lower rear portion of the vehicle. Preliminary observation suggested that the body was put inside the auto and then set ablaze. Both the vehicle and the corpse were almost completely charred. Siddharth Gautam, ACP (Aloni), said police received information around 8 am and immediately rushed to the spot. “We found skeletal remains inside the burnt auto. The body has been sent for post-mortem and we are awaiting the report. A forensic team and dog squad were also called to examine the scene,” he said, adding that it is not yet clear whether the deceased was a man or a woman. During the investigation, police recovered a number plate bearing registration UP 14 PT 5862. A senior officer said the auto belongs to a youth residing in Dabar Talab Colony in Loni, who has been missing from home for the past few days. “His family members are unaware of his whereabouts. The incident will become clearer once identification is established,” the officer said. The ACP added that the identity of the deceased is yet to be confirmed and the exact cause of death will be known only after the post-mortem report. Meanwhile, police are checking missing person reports from nearby police stations to help identify the victim. There were no CCTV cameras installed near the crime scene, police said, but footage from cameras along adjoining roads is being examined as part of the probe.
