New Delhi [India], July 5 (ANI): A 26-year-old UPSC aspirant died of asphyxiation after being trapped in a lift during a major fire at a retail store in Delhi's Karol Bagh on Friday evening. The victim, identified as Dhirendra Pratap Singh, was found dead inside the elevator nearly eight hours after the fire broke out.

Just before his death, Dhirendra sent a desperate message to his brother on WhatsApp, saying, 'Bhaiya, I'm stuck in the lift...I can't breathe... please save me.' He also made calls pleading for help, but was not rescued in time.

His body was recovered from the lift at around 2:30 am by rescue teams.

Dhirendra, a native of Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, had been living in a PG accommodation in Karol Bagh and was preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination.

He had recently cleared the Prelims and was preparing for the Mains exam. He held a Political Science degree and was pursuing his Master's.

Speaking to ANI, Vikram said, 'My brother had gone to Vishal Mega Mart to shop in the evening. At 6:51 PM, I received a WhatsApp message from him saying he had been trapped inside the lift and was struggling to breathe. He called me too and said, 'Mujhe bacha lo, main lift mein phas gaya hoon, saans phool rahi hai'.'

'He was the most disciplined and hard-working person. He wanted to serve the country as a civil servant. Instead, due to someone else's carelessness, he died a painful death,' said his brother Vikram Singh, holding back tears.

He alleged that the store staff did not respond and that they switched off the power and fled. 'No one tried to rescue him. Even the police did not respond initially. We kept pleading for help till late at night. It was only at 2:30 AM that the store acknowledged someone was trapped inside,' he added.

Dhirendra's sister, Dr Swati, said, 'My brother is gone, but their mall will reopen. People use lifts with trolley bags every day in malls. Why did no one check if anyone was inside? They turned off the power and left. Their store will be repaired, but my brother won't come back,' she said.

According to Delhi Fire Service officer Ravi Nath, a fire call was received at 6:44 PM on Friday from Vishal Mega Mart. 'It's a ground plus three-floor structure. One male body was recovered from the lift around 2 AM. The cause of the fire, availability of fire safety equipment, and status of fire NOC are under investigation,' he said. (ANI)