Two men were found dead in their rented room in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday after a pot of chhole (chickpeas) was left on a burning stove overnight, filling the space with smoke, police said.

The deceased, identified as Upendra, 22, and Shivam, 23, lived in Basai village in Sector 70. The duo ran a food cart selling chhole kulche and bhatura. Neighbours noticed smoke seeping from their small, poorly ventilated room early in the morning and broke down the door.

Both men were found unconscious and rushed to the district hospital in Sector 39, where doctors pronounced them dead on arrival.

According to the police, the men had left a pot of chhole cooking on the gas stove before going to sleep. The unattended stove burned throughout the night, leading to the food charring and the room filling with smoke.

“Initial investigation suggests that suffocation caused by the accumulation of smoke and carbon monoxide in the unventilated room led to their deaths,” a Noida Police official said.

Police have taken custody of the bodies and sent them for autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

“There were no external injuries on the bodies, and the exact cause will be confirmed after the post-mortem,” the official added.

Source: India Today