A middle-aged timber trader based in Calcutta allegedly set himself ablaze before jumping off the fourth floor of a lodge in West Midnapore’s Garbeta on Sunday morning.

Sanjay Chakraborty, 52, suffered 80 per cent burns and wass battling for life at Midnapore Medical College and Hospital till late on Sunday.

Police didn’t rule out foul play. “His condition is critical. It is not clear whether he attempted suicide or was thrown off the fourth floor of Sree Gopal Lodge,” said Mahakash Chakraborty, the officer-in-charge of Garbeta police station.

Investigators questioned the lodge owner as well as the employees present on the premises at the time of the incident.

Preliminary investigation revealed the trader, who was to buy wood from clients in Garbeta, had checked into the lodge on Saturday night.