Man found dead near burnt laptop

Kolkata: Three months after a laptop snag killed a multinational company employee, another man in Kolkata was found dead close to his burnt laptop in his bedroom, police said yesterday. Asphyxiation is the suspected cause of death.

The body of Saptarishi Sarkar, 30, an employee of a private firm, was detected around 11am yesterday. The bachelor's bedroom was full of smoke when its door was opened, police said. The room was in Haridevpur neighbourhood in the southern fringes of the city.

"Saptarishi Sarkar was found dead inside his house. All the windows and doors of his room were closed and it was full of smoke and there was an acrid smell.

Foul play

A burnt laptop, which probably caught fire from a cigarette that he was smoking, was found near his bed," said Tapan Paul of the Haridevpur police station. Paul ruled out any foul play.

"It seems he fell asleep with a cigarette in his hand and the laptop kept nearby caught fire. With all windows closed he may have died of asphyxiation," added Paul. Another city resident Sayan Chowdhury, a consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers, was found dead in similar circumstances in November.