US national on auto-rickshaw expedition found dead in Jodhpur

A 33-year-old US national, who was on an auto-rickshaw expedition, was found dead in his hotel room in Jodhpur on Wednesday.

The deceased was identified as Christopher, a resident of the US, Sardar police station SHO Pradeep Singh said. He had arrived in Jodhpur on Tuesday with a group of four others -- an Australian and an American couple.

"They had checked in Haweli Guesthouse in the walled city, where he was allotted a separate room, while the two couples checked in two separate rooms," Singh said, adding that he skipped dinner on Tuesday citing ill health and preferred to rest.

Later, he left for his room and asked them to meet him the following morning at the breakfast table. But, when he failed to respond to the phone calls and door knocks, police was informed.

"We broke into the room and found him lying dead on the bed," Singh said.

After preliminary investigations, the police intimated the US Embassy and sent the body to the mortuary of MDM Hospital, where a medical board will conduct post-mortem.

The group had started from Kochi in two auto-rickshaws and had arrived in Jodhpur via Udaipur on Tuesday. They were to leave for Jaisalmer, police added.