Charred body of watchman found in school premises in outer Delhi

New Delhi, Feb 24 (PTI) A 58-year-old watchman of an MCD primary school was found charred to death inside the guard room of the school in outer Delhi's Ranhola area on Tuesday, police said.

The deceased has been identified as Naresh Kumar, a resident of Haryana's Rohtak. He was employed with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and was posted as a watchman at the school, police said in a statement.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Sachin Sharma said his retirement was due in 2027.

"The school staff noticed the incident around 7.45 am and informed authorities. Kumar's duty hours were from 1 pm onwards and he used to stay in the guard room," the officer said.

The body was found completely burnt, police said, adding that the fire was in the guard room only and the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

According to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), a call regarding a fire in the school premises was received around 8 am, following which a team was rushed to the spot.

"By the time we reached, the fire had already been extinguished. During inspection of the premises, a charred body was found inside the guard room," a DFS official said.

A crime team inspected the spot and CCTV cameras installed on the premises are being examined to determine the sequence of events leading to the incident.

Further investigation is underway, police said. PTI SSJ DV DV