Man who died after moving car caught fire identified

Police have identified a man who died after his car caught fire on Monday night as Kozhikkottu Roy Sebastian, 64, a resident of Kumily.

According to police, the incident took place around 8:30 pm on the Kottarakara-Dindigul national highway at 66 Mile near Kumily in Idukki. Police said a two-wheeler rider alerted Roy about the fire and asked him to get out of the vehicle. Before he could react, the car skidded and hit the two-wheeler, engulfing both vehicles in flames. The two-wheeler rider narrowly escaped the accident.

Kumily police said both the vehicles were completely damaged in the accident. “We are not ruling out the possibility of suicide. The driver may have set the car on fire while driving. The forensic wing has already collected samples from the accident site. The investigation is underway,” the official said.

The body was handed over to relatives after a post-mortem at Idukki Medical College on Tuesday. Roy is survived by his wife, Doli, and children, Bulbul and Yesabel.