BMC engineer found dead, family cries foul play

BHUBANESWAR: An assistant executive engineer of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) was found dead in his car at Janla, on the outskirts of the city, on Saturday morning.
The deceased was identified as Manoj Mishra (50). His body bore multiple injury marks.

Police said a preliminary probe indicated an accident but family members alleged foul play. "Prima facie, it looks like an accident. Our investigation is on," said DCP Anup Sahu. The car had been hit from behind and Manoj's ribs were fractured, he added. "The body has been sent for postmortem," said an officer.

Family sources said Manoj had left home at 11.40 pm on Friday night, saying he was going to a work site at Nayapalli. A call from a police outpost early in the morning informed them about the incident.

"I am shocked that instead of coming home from Nayapalli, he travelled up to Janla. Somebody must have called him. The car is visibly damaged and we have a strong suspicion that someone hit it from behind intentionally," his wife, Nirupama, told TOI over the phone. She added that Manoj often supervised work at night.

Manoj's son studies intermediate at a local college while his daughter is an engineer in Mumbai. tnn