A 38-year-old man, Vijay Pal, who had been missing since Saturday afternoon, was found dead on Sunday morning inside a vegetarian biryani shop in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow, police said.
His body was recovered from a freezer in the shop, which is located directly across from GCRG College.
According to police, the shop is a temporary structure consisting of tin walls on three sides and no gate. The freezer where Pal was found was reportedly disconnected, and the shop had been closed for the last three days.
"This is a temporary shop without a gate. The freezer is also disconnected. A person has been found in the freezer. We have identified him as Vijay Pal. There is no apparent injury on his body. We are in contact with the family members. The cause of death is not clear," said a senior police officer.
The shop owner, Ajay, a resident of Bakshi's Talab, discovered the body when he arrived to collect supplies. Upon searching the deep freezer, he found Pal and immediately alerted the authorities.
Police identified the victim through his mobile phone and Aadhaar card, which were found at the scene. They also noted a strange detail regarding his footwear: one of Pal's slippers was spotted on a street corner near the college, while the other was found inside the shop.
(With inputs from Vivek Shahi)
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