Found hanging in women's clothes: Kin unaware of deceased airport official's sexual orientation or cross-dressing

DEHRADUN/RUDRAPUR: Amid the ongoing police probe into the death of a 32-year-old air traffic controller (ATC) in-charge of Pantnagar airport, who was found hanging from a ceiling fan dressed in women's clothes on Monday, his relatives said that he had become "increasingly cautious about his privacy in the last six months."
A police officer privy to the case, cited the questioning of two relatives of the deceased (TOI has withheld his name), who were present in his accommodation at the time of incident and were frequent visitors to his place.
"They said that earlier he lived freely with them like bachelors. The three used to sleep in the same room of his two-bedroom accommodation. But six months ago, he asked them to sleep in the other room. Later, he began locking his door at night, which he had never done before," the officer said. "We spoke to his colleagues and friends, and none of them had any inkling about his sexual orientation or cross-dressing. It was a surprise for them.
A probe is underway to determine the reason behind this," said the officer. He added that an examination of the deceased's mobile phone revealed searches for strangling methods on June 16. A colleague told TOI that the official appeared happy and content with his married life. "Recently, he had requested a transfer to Pithoragarh Airport to be closer to his family. SP (city) Rudrapur, Manoj Katyal said that police are "examining his mobile phone and social media activities."