4 min readVadodaraUpdated: Aug 21, 2026 05:49 AM IST
Vadodara city police have established that all three were present in the room at some point, although they are now piecing together the exact sequence of events, including when the third man arrived and left. (AI generated image)
What initially appeared to be a two-man late-night rendezvous in a Vadodara hotel that ended in a fatal fall has thrown up two new twists.
Police have now established that a third man was present in the room, while forensic tests are expected to determine whether a suspected contraband or performance-enhancing substance played any role in the unexplained death of the 29-year-old man.
Police investigation into the death of the man, who had checked into Hotel Vintage Inn at Dandia Bazaar on Wednesday with his Grindr partner, has since revealed that the men had contacted and invited a third man to the hotel during the course of the night. Vadodara city police have established that all three were present in the room at some point, although they are now piecing together the exact sequence of events, including when the third man arrived and left.
As per the initial information on Wednesday, the two men — both married and belonging to different faiths – had reportedly come into contact around four months ago through Grindr and remained in touch on WhatsApp. Wednesday’s meeting was reportedly only their second in person. They checked into room 304 at around 3 am. According to the preliminary account given to police, the power supply to the room failed during the night. The deceased allegedly stumbled and fell while walking towards the washroom in the darkness, suffering injuries to his head and forehead.
After complaining about the power outage, the two were shifted by hotel staff to room 302. The presence of the third man has added a new dimension to the investigation into a death that was initially reported as the consequence of an accidental fall.
Drug use
Police are also examining a possible drug angle, suspecting that the men may have consumed a substance during the meeting.
Assistant Commissioner of Police, C Division, Ashok Rathwa told The Indian Express on Thursday, “The SSG hospital has withheld the report as there is presence of a drug in the body of the deceased. The viscera samples have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory and the cause of death will be known only after the FSL submits its report… We have also taken blood samples of the other two men who were in the room. If they also test positive for any contraband, they will be booked separately in a case under the NDPS Act.”
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Rathwa said that while the exact substance consumed is not known, the police are trying to determine whether the deceased had consumed a contraband or a performance-enhancing substance.
“There were no signs of a scuffle or injury on the body of the surviving companion.. The third person has been spotted in the CCTV and the surviving companion had also mentioned that there was a third person in the room… He has so far maintained that they were all meeting due to their same-sex relationship. Once the FSL confirms the substance consumed, we will take further action,” Rathwa said.
Police said both the deceased and his surviving companion were married, and their families were unaware of their relationship.
The Raopura police have registered a case of accidental death and are awaiting the results of the postmortem as well as the forensic examination of the viscera while trying to reconstruct the events of the night.
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.
Expertise:
Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including:
Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground.
Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure.
Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case).
Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions.
Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More
