Body found trapped in Ghaziabad banquet hall goods lift

Ghaziabad: A 24-year-old cleaner's body was found trapped under a goods lift inside a banquet hall in Sihani Gate.Police said that Shiv Kumar of Hapur might have died after getting stuck in the lift. However, the exact circumstances will be clear after an autopsy.ACP of Nandgram Upasana Pandey said around 11am on Friday, Rajesh Singh, the manager at Red K Velvet Banquet, discovered the body and informed the police. The contractor, Mahendra, who had hired Shiv Kumar, told police that Shiv Kumar and a few others had been called to the banquet on Thursday afternoon. He suspects that the 24-year-old might have been trying to board the lift to go to the first floor with a bucket and a few brooms when the lift stopped due to overloading. Shiv Kumar, at this moment, might have lost his balance and his head might have been crushed between the lift and the wall. He said a cover was installed on the lift for safety. Hence, no one could see him stuck there. "In the evening, after finishing work, his colleagues and I searched for Shiv Kumar but we could not find him. In the morning, I got to know that his body was found under the lift," he said. The ACP said the right ear of the body was cut off and the face was crushed on the same side. Police suspect that the body fell from the lift at some point during the night. His cousin said that Shiv Kumar had been living in Nandgram and worked in menial jobs for the past few years. Lately, he had picked up a drinking habit. Shiv Kumar's family, however, has alleged that he was murdered. He believes that his cousin might have been killed by his colleagues after a dispute and that the body might have been hidden in the lift. He said the family was waiting for the autopsy report.