After a 35-year-old man’s body was found inside a deep freezer at a biryani outlet in Lucknow, it reignited a feeling of horror in the Bakshi Ka Talab (BKT) region. The horrific discovery came on Sunday morning of March 1, 2026, when the shop proprietor went back to business after four days of closure. Vijay Pal, a resident of Kishanpur Majra, is reported to have been the dead person.
According to the reports, Pal was a daily wage laborer who had led a solitary life after being separated from his wife about 5 years back.
The Discovery: A Routine Reopening Became Nightmare
Shani Rawat owns the biryani shop which is in the jurisdiction of the BKT police station. Rawat had been away attending the funeral rites of his father, and the establishment had remained closed for four days. When Rawat got there Sunday morning to move on, he opened the lid of the big freezer, only to discover a human body stuffed inside. A panic engulfed the crowd and police were called right away.
Significant Detective Details
When the Lucknow police team, led by ADCP (North Zone) Rishabh Runwal, arrived at the location, they cordoned off shop to collect evidence. Several strange details emerged from our preliminary investigation:
- Disconnected Power: The freezer Vijay Pal was found in reportedly had no source of electricity at that time. This probably accounts for why no odor was detected by passersby during the four days the shop shut down.
- Failure to Show Visible Injuries: No external injuries or signs of a struggle were found upon initial examinations; this added a layer of mystery to the cause of death.
- Identity Confirmation: The victim was identified from an Aadhaar card and a mobile phone found in his pocket.
- Unusual Footwear Placement: In a twist of fate, one of Pal's slippers was found on the street corner near a college, another of his slippers found inside the shop premises.
Family and Personal Background
The family members reported to authorities the fact that Vijay Pal suffered from alcohol addiction and had grown increasingly isolated in recent years. He was last seen alive on Saturday, only one day before his body was found. He lived alone, but is survived by a daughter whose mother lives with her.
Ongoing Probe
The body has been taken for a post-mortem evaluation, but the first report has not been given an exact cause of death. Police are now looking at CCTV footage from the GCRG College area to see how Pal got into the shop a temporary building and whether he was placed in the freezer or climbed into it himself.
On March 4, Lucknow police have filed a case and are interrogating the shop owner and nearest neighbours of the deceased. “Investigating ‘all angles’ and the potential of an accident or foul play hidden behind a health complication,” said a senior official in the region.
