Madurai: The incessant barking of dogs led to the discovery of the decomposed body of a 60-year-old Austrian national, who had spent years helping tsunami survivors, at his accommodation near Sothavilai beach in Kanyakumari district on Wednesday.
His death comes exactly a month after he suffered a bleeding head injury during an altercation aboard a govt bus travelling from Nagercoil to Kanyakumari on Oct 3. An argument followed after Babu, 46, a former Army serviceman from Vilavancode, questioned Densky over his alleged verbal abuse of passengers.
“The body was in an advanced stage of decomposition, suggesting he had died more than two days earlier,” said a senior police official monitoring the investigation. He said preliminary findings suggested a natural death, with no fresh injury marks on the body. Police said the dispute began when Densky’s large travel bag inconvenienced fellow passengers.
However, the exact cause of death remains subject to medical findings. During the confrontation, Babu allegedly pushed Densky, causing his head to strike a bus window. The Austrian subsequently reached Kottar police station with blood streaming from his head. Police arranged medical treatment and registered cases against both men based on their respective complaints.
Puthalam village administrative officer Bharath Arun visited the premises and found Densky dead. Following a complaint from the VAO, a police team recovered the body and sent it to Asaripallam Govt Medical College Hospital for postmortem. Forensic experts and revenue officials also inspected the premises. The investigation is continuing.
Suchindram police have registered a case over Densky’s death on Thursday and informed his family in Austria.