Driver burnt alive as moving CNG car catches fire in UP's Barabanki | India News

A 45-year-old driver was burnt alive after his four-month-old CNG-powered car caught fire while he was returning home from Lucknow on Saturday, leaving behind only charred bones inside the gutted vehicle in Barabanki’s Safdarganj area.The incident took place around 1.30am, barely 2 km from his home in Pyarepur, with locals spotting the burnt-out car around 6am. The driver, Pradeep Kumar, was identified through the vehicle’s registration number, police said.Barabanki superintendent of police (SP) Raveena Tyagi confirmed the incident and said one person had died in the fire. The cause of the blaze was being investigated.According to Safdarganj station house officer Ajay Prakash Tripathi, preliminary findings suggested that the car’s doors got locked after the fire broke out, trapping the driver inside. He may have tried to escape through the door beside the driver’s seat but could not open it, the officer said. The police have not yet established what triggered the fire.Fire brigade personnel were called to the spot to douse the flames. After the fire was extinguished, police opened the car doors and recovered the charred remains. The remains were sent for postmortem examination, while a forensic team examined the scene and collected material from the burnt vehicle for further analysis.A local resident, Madan Kumar informed police that he heard what sounded like tyres bursting around 1.30am but did not go out at the time. When he stepped out for a morning walk around 6am, he found the car completely gutted, with the driver’s remains still inside. He then alerted the police and fire brigade.Pradeep was returning to his village after dropping passengers from Lucknow airport in Barabanki. His family said he occasionally picked up passengers while travelling towards the airport and also drove the car for the health department.His younger brother said Pradeep had spoken to his wife around 4pm on Friday and told the family to have dinner and go to sleep because he would be late getting home. The car had been purchased around four months ago in his wife’s name, he added.Pradeep was the eldest of three brothers. His parents had died, and he is survived by his wife, two daughters and two sons. Both daughters and one son are married.The family rushed to the spot after learning about the incident but could not see his body in recognisable form. His brother said the loss had left the family devastated.The investigation is focused on establishing how the fire started and whether any vehicle malfunction or other factor contributed to the driver becoming trapped inside. Police said the forensic findings and postmortem examination would help establish further details.