Young couple found dead in locked AC room; suspected accidental blaze in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: A man and woman in their mid-20s were found dead in a suspected fire accident inside the third floor air condition room of Cool Comfort lodge in Yelahanka New Town police station limits on Thursday around 5 pm. The deceased were identified as Ramesh Bandivaddar, 25, of Gajendragada in Gadag district and Kaveri Badiger, 24, from Hunagund in Bagalkot district. The lodge is located in Kitchen 6 Family Restaurant building on the 1st main Road in Industrial Town. Kaveri had called the lodge reception and informed them about the fire. When the fire department personnel rushed to the spot, they found even the room door was locked from inside. The personnel had to break open the door to enter. Rameshs charred body was found in the room. Kaveri was found lying unconscious in the washroom which was also locked from inside. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was declared dead on arrival. Ramesh was working in a private firm while Kaveri was working at a spa near the lodge. It is suspected that the two were in love and faced pressure from their families. We are checking if the deaths were intentional or accidental. Both of them are said to have had a fight and Ramesh, who had gone outside, is suspected to have returned with a bottle of petrol while Kaveri was in the room, said an officer. They again had a heated argument around 5 pm when Ramesh reportedly set himself on fire after dousing with petrol. Kaveri while trying to escape is suspected to have gone inside the bathroom and bolted the door. She must have died of asphyxiation, the officer said. The Yelahanka New Town police who have registered a case of suspicious death are awaiting the post-mortem report to ascertain the cause of death. Even though the fire spread to adjacent rooms, no one else was injured. There are six A/C rooms in the lodge. SOCO and FSL teams are assisting the police in the investigation.