PUNE, 8 NOV. A tragic incident occurred in the Somwar Peth area of Pune city where a man was found dead following a fire inside a room at Hotel Orient. The deceased has been identified as Mohit Bhupendra Shah, a 32-year-old resident of Daund in Pune district.

According to police reports, Shah had checked into a room at the hotel on Thursday night. When he failed to open the room on Friday morning, the hotel staff became concerned. Around 12 noon, staff noticed smoke emanating from his room and immediately alerted the police and fire brigade.

A team from the Samarth Police Station, along with the Pune Fire Brigade, swiftly reached the spot. Fire officer Prashant Gaikar stated that by the time the fire team arrived, the hotel staff had already managed to extinguish the flames. Mohit Shah was found unconscious inside the room and was rushed to Sassoon Hospital, where doctors unfortunately pronounced him dead.

Senior Police Inspector Umesh Gitte of the Samarth Police Station provided preliminary findings of the investigation. The probe indicated that the deceased, Mohit Shah, was an alcoholic. It is strongly suspected that the fire was accidentally caused by a cigarette that Shah had lit in the hotel room while under the influence of alcohol.

The fire primarily burnt one of the beds in the room. Investigators believe that the intense smoke generated by the burning material led to Shah's suffocation, which is suspected to be the primary cause of death. Although Shah also sustained burn injuries on one of his hands, suffocation is thought to be the main factor.

As per standard procedure, the police have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR), and a further investigation is underway to confirm all the circumstances surrounding the fatal incident.

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