A 36-year-old cab driver was discovered dead inside his vehicle near a traffic signal in Prahlad Garhi on Monday morning.

The deceased  has  been  identified as Kallu Dubey, a resident of Sahibabad, had reportedly fallen asleep in his WagonR with the air conditioning running. Police believe that he suffocated after the car ran out of petrol, causing the AC to shut off along with the ignition. Despite the car having a CNG option, Dubey, who was allegedly heavily intoxicated, did not wake up to switch the fuel supply.

The incident came to light when Dubey’s employer, Amlesh Pandey, contacted the police after Dubey failed to respond to repeated knocks on the car door. Pandey, who operates Priyanshi Tours and Travels, had been trying to reach Dubey since 7 a.m. due to a booking for the day. After Dubey missed multiple calls, Pandey had to cancel the booking.


Dubey's location was tracked through his phone, which showed he was still logged into his cab service provider’s portal. Upon reaching the site near a liquor store where Dubey had parked, Pandey found him unresponsive inside the car. Despite several attempts to wake him by knocking on the window and calling his phone, there was no response. Pandey then alerted Dubey’s family and the police. Upon arrival, the police broke the car window to retrieve Dubey and transported him to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.


Dubey had been working for Pandey for three years. He had recently returned to work after a trip to his hometown, Hamirpur, following his mother-in-law’s death. Dubey was a widower, having lost his wife eight years prior, and he had a six-year-old son.


Nimish Patil, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (trans-Hindon), stated that they received the report of Dubey’s death around 10 a.m. on Monday. Preliminary investigations suggest Dubey, after consuming a substantial amount of alcohol on Sunday night, fell asleep with the AC on. As the car ran out of petrol, the AC shut off automatically, and Dubey, too intoxicated to notice, suffocated with all the windows rolled up. The body has been sent for an autopsy to confirm the cause of death.


Dr. BP Tyagi from Harsh Hospital indicated that the likely cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning. Once the AC turned off, the enclosed space led to a lack of oxygen and the accumulation of carbon monoxide. This gas, when inhaled, binds with the blood, reducing oxygen flow to vital organs, which could have led to Dubey’s death.


Police are still investigating the incident, reviewing nearby CCTV footage to piece together the sequence of events. As of Monday evening, no formal complaint had been lodged.