Bengaluru (PTI): Four members of a family from West Bengal were found dead inside their single room accommodation at a poultry farm in Bengaluru Rural district of Karnataka, police said on Monday.

The deceased have been identified as Kale Sariki (60), Lakshmi Sariki (50), Usha Sariki (40), and Pool Sariki (16), they said.

The family hailed from Alipurduar district in West Bengal and were working at a poultry farm in Holeyarahalli, near Doddabelavangala in Doddaballapur taluk since last 10 days.

Preliminary probe has suggested asphyxiation to be the cause of death. However, police is awaiting autopsy report to ascertain the exact cause of death, a senior police officer said.

According to police, the incident came to light on Sunday morning when Kale's daughter who works in a nearby village approached police. When none of her family members responded to her calls, she came to the poultry farm to check on them and saw smoke coming out of the closed windows of the house.

"Our police team reached the spot and broke open the door of the house which was locked from inside. The entire room was filled with smoke. We found a charcoal heater, some leaves and bodies of the family members lying. Experts from Forensic Science Laboratory were also called in and samples were lifted from the spot. Post-mortem was conducted at Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru following which the bodies were handed over to their relatives on Sunday," the senior police officer said.

Preliminary probe revealed that on Saturday night, after dinner, the four family members slept as usual in their single room accommodation which did not have proper ventilation. Since it was raining, the family had used a charcoal heater and some leaves as an alternative to mosquito repellent to keep them warm and protect themselves from mosquitoes, he said.

"Since the accommodation did not have proper ventilation and the door was closed from inside, gradually the smoke from the burning charcoal engulfed the entire room leading to suffocation. Their (victims) lungs were affected and initial reports suggest that they died due to asphyxiation," the officer added.

Police ruled out any foul play in the incident saying no visible injuries were found on the bodies, Also, there was no sign of any kind of poisonous substance inside.

"A case of unnatural death has been registered at Doddabelavangala police station under Criminal Procedure Code 174 and further investigation is on. We are awaiting post-mortem report to ascertain the exact cause of death," said Bengaluru Rural district Superintendent of Police Mallikarjuna Baladandi.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.

Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.

Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.

An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.

The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.

A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.

Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."

"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.

"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.

A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.