Vrindavan: Panic spread in Vrindavan after the body of a 60-year-old foreign devotee was discovered inside his apartment at the Russian Building on Monday. The man had reportedly not stepped out of his flat for the past four to five days. Building staff became suspicious after a foul smell started coming from the apartment and alerted the police.
Police Break Open Apartment Door
According to preliminary information, building employees noticed a strong foul smell coming from the flat around 1 PM on Monday. They knocked on the door several times but received no response.
After receiving the information, police reached the spot and attempted to open the apartment. When there was no response from inside, officers broke the door latch and entered the flat, where they found the devotee dead.
The police took possession of the body and shifted it to the mortuary at Bhaktivedanta Hospital for post-mortem examination.
Who Was the Deceased Foreign Devotee?
The deceased was identified as 60-year-old Gallardo Andrik, a resident of Flat No. 713 in the Russian Building. He originally belonged to Costa Rica, a Central American country.
He had been living in Vrindavan for the past few years and regularly visited the ISKCON temple for worship and spiritual activities. According to other residents, he usually interacted with fellow devotees living in the building but had not been seen for the last four to five days.
Was Illness the Reason Behind His Death?
Raman Reti Police Outpost In-charge Sub-Inspector Shubhanshu Yadav said that questioning of other residents revealed that Andrik had been unwell for some time.
Police suspect that he may have died due to an illness. However, the exact cause of death will be established only after the post-mortem report is received.
Information Shared With the Concerned Embassy
Police have also informed the concerned embassy about the incident. Further proceedings are underway as authorities await the post-mortem findings.
