People look at the car in which Rahul Gautam was found dead on Thursday. Telegraph picture

Patna, Oct. 22: Police are finding the Rahul Gautam murder case difficult to crack three days after his body was retrieved from his car parked beside a temple in Rajabazaar under Rajiv Nagar police station.

The men in uniform today said they suspect that Rahul, the son of high court lawyer Aditya Narayan Singh, was strangled to death using a cellphone charger, which was recovered from the car. The driver’s door also bears a dent, indicating that the car met with an accident, which could have possibly sparked off an altercation leading to his murder.

“Rahul stayed in Nalanda Colony of Ram Nagri under Shastri Nagar police station and used to take this route to home mostly. Though there has been no breakthrough in the case, it seems that the man was strangled using a cellphone charger, recovered from his car. The charger belongs to an obsolete mobile,” Patna city superintendent of police (central) Shivdeep Lande told The Telegraph today.

The officer added that the driver’s door of Rahul’s car was damaged. “The door has scratch marks and is not opening smoothly. There is a dent in it, indicating that the car met with a collision, which in turn could have led to a fight. The murder could be a fallout of it,” the officer added.

The deceased’s body bore several injury marks, suggesting a struggle. Sources reasoned that the car accident might have led to a man or a group of men beating up Rahul and finally strangling him to death.

“The police are trying to ascertain whether or not the killers parked the vehicle at the spot after the murder or the crime took place at the same place. Someone must have seen the car being parked. We are questioning Rahul’s family,” another police officer said.

Earlier, the police had said that Rahul was heavily into liquor and drugs and was under treatment for the same at a rehabilitation centre.

“Rahul was known to be very restless and short-tempered. His relationship with his family and wife was strained. Recording his wife’s statement is crucial to the case,” the officer said.

Last evening, Rahul’s father had lodged an FIR against Sunny, Vinod, Prince and Gautam, alleging that the four used to threaten his son. “The four men are being questioned but nothing concrete can be said,” Lande said.