A 20-year-old man suffocated to death after a lit beedi allegedly thrown at a scrap godown triggered fire near Shamanna Garden in Byatarayanapura police station limits on Tuesday.
The deceased has been identified as Kaleem, 20.
The police said the fire broke out around noon on the ground floor of a building. Kaleem, who had a mobile shop next to the scrap godown in the same building, was asleep at his house on the first floor. It is suspected that someone may have thrown a lit beedi inside the scrap godown, which resulted in the fire. The fire engulfed the scrap godown and the smoke entered the room on the first floor. As his mother had locked the door from outside when she left to buy vegetables, Kaleem could not find a way out.
The fire was doused within half an hour. Kaleem was rushed to a private hospital but was declared brought dead. A case has been registered in Byatarayanapura police station and the owner of the godown, Kadeer, has been booked for causing death due to negligence.
