A 48-year-old shopkeeper, identified as Shankar Lal Garg, died under mysterious circumstances after allegedly falling into a drain in the Sihani Gate area of Ghaziabad late Sunday night. Police were alerted by a passerby who noticed a scooty lying abandoned on the roadside with its headlights still on and later found the man unconscious in a nearby drain.

With the help of locals, the victim was pulled out and rushed to MMG Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. Based on vehicle registration details, police identified the deceased as a resident of the Dasna Gate area.

Family members said Garg followed a daily routine of disposing of garbage after closing his shop and visiting a nearby temple before returning home. On the night of the incident, he had left home as usual but never returned.

Police examined CCTV footage and inspected the scooty but found no signs of collision or foul play. Preliminary investigation suggests that a plastic bucket placed on the vehicle may have caused him to lose balance and fall into the drain. The body has been sent for post-mortem, and further investigation is ongoing to determine the exact cause of death.