Jharkhand’s Ranchi police on Thursday recovered a charred body from the hostel premises of Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS).
Police said that the charred body was of a second-year Forensic Medicine and Toxicology (FMT) department student.
Police said that a police patrolling team recovered the body in the early morning at 5.30am on Thursday following the information they received from someone from RIMS.
Police have identified the deceased as a resident of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.
“The student was staying in room number 79 on the top floor of the hostel building. Following the recovery of the body, a dog squad and an FSL [Forensic Science Laboratory] team were pressed into service. We have collected the deceased’s mobile phone and sealed the room,” an official from Bariatu police station said.
Ranchi senior superintendent of police (SP), Chandan Kumar Sinha, said police are investigating both suicide and murder angles, although a first information report (FIR) into the incident is yet to be registered.
“A formal FIR will be registered only when family members of the student arrive in the city and give their statement. We have begun our probe into two angles– suicide and homicide. We are waiting for a report from the FSL to proceed further in the matter,” Sinha said.
Bariatu police station sub-inspector, Husnain Ansari, deputed for investigation at the spot said a black oily substance appearing like engine oil and footprints were found on the rooftop of the hostel where the student was staying.
“No suicide note was recovered from his room. Those staying in the hostel never noticed any unusual behaviour of the student whose body was recovered,” he added.
He attended his duty yesterday, said a RIMS FMT department student, adding that if he was burning, he would have screamed but no one in the hostel heard his screams. “Police should conduct a proper probe,” said the student.