A 55-year-old man was found dead inside a car outside a private hospital in Phase 1 on Tuesday.

According to police, Sarabjit Singh of Sehjowal, Nangal, Rupnagar, appeared to have died of suffocation and remained locked inside the Hyundai Grand i10 for two days.

Police said the deceased’s mother was admitted to the hospital for a heart surgery on Sunday. “After admitting his mother, he went to sleep inside the car parked outside the hospital near a cow shelter in Phase 1. After consuming alcohol, he slept inside the vehicle. He even relieved himself in a bottle inside the car. He eventually died due to suffocation,” a police officer aware of the development said.

Police said doctors repeatedly called the deceased, but to no avail. “After his mother was discharged from the hospital, his sister, who had come from New Delhi, started looking for him. A guard at the hospital informed the family about the parked car. On checking, the victim was found dead and his body was decomposing. We recovered a liquor bottle from the vehicle,” said an investigator.

The deceased had lost his father a few days ago and was living with his ailing mother. According to police, he was divorced, and living separately from his children and wife for nearly eight years. The body was handed over the family after an autopsy at the local civil hospital. Phase 1 police have initiated inquest proceedings.