Times News NetworkKanpur: A 40-year-old jewellery artisan was found hanging in his room above a shop in the city’s Pheelkhana police station area on Wednesday, two days after he was last seen.Prabhakar Kole, a resident of Dantpur police station area in West Bengal’s Hugli district, had moved to Kanpur about two years ago for work. He made jewellery at the shop and lived in the room above it.The shopkeeper got suspicious after Kole had not been seen for two days and failed to answer repeated phone calls. He went upstairs and found the room locked from inside. After receiving no response despite repeatedly calling out and knocking, he sought help from neighbours and broke open the door. Kole’s body was found hanging inside, and the shopkeeper alerted the police through emergency number 112.Police and a forensic team inspected the scene, collected evidence and sent the body for a post-mortem examination.Family members said Kole had been in distress for some time because work had declined and business was not doing well. His elder brother, Divakar Kole, travelled from West Bengal to Kanpur after learning about the death. Divakar said the family comprised their mother, Sarna Lata Kole, and brothers Shubhankar Kole and Prabhakar.Pheelkhana police station in-charge said the preliminary investigation indicated that Kole had been distressed over poor business. The family has not made any allegation against anyone. Further action would be based on the post-mortem report and any complaint from the family, the police station in-charge said.
