SANGHAR, Dec 9: The body of a young Hindu businessman carrying gunshot wounds was found lying in a pool of blood with a pistol placed nearby, about a kilometre from here, on Monday.

Police were quick to declare the death of Rattan Kumar Lohano as a suicide but his relatives and friends rejected the claim.

Some passers-by spotted the body and informed police who brought it to civil hospital. It was handed over to relatives after autopsy.

Sanghar SHO Juman Khoso told Dawn that initial findings suggested Rattan had committed suicide. The deceased had no enmity with anyone and had been issueless since 15 years of marriage, he said alluding the latter fact might be a motive behind the suicide.

But Rattan’s brother Ramesh told another story. He said his brother was carrying Rs70,000 in the pocket when he left home in the morning but he had no cash on him except his CNIC and cell phone when they received the body.

Rattan had phoned them about an hour before his body turned up and said he was coming home after a while, he said. Another brother of Rattan added the clothes on the body were crumpled and torn out, which suggested possible manhandling before death.

According to eyewitnesses, a shoe belonging to the deceased was lying at a short distance from the body. They suspected Rattan might have been drugged before he was killed.

Dr Rashid, who conducted post-mortem on the body, said they had not examined the possibility whether he had been drugged or not.

Late Rattan’s relatives, friends and the town’s prominent persons have rejected police claim and demanded the authorities concerned should order a fair and impartial investigation on scientific lines into the young trader’s death.

MPA Nand Kumar said that he could not believe Rattan had committed suicide, there was every likelihood he had been murdered. He condemned the tragic death and accused police of wanting to hush up the case.

He said the SHO had closed the case file within two hours of Rattan’s death by declaring it a suicide. The Hindu community of Sanghar had greatly regretted police attitude, he said.