A 35-year-old physically challenged security guard of an apartment block in Jamshedpur was found dead in the pit of an elevator shaft late on Saturday night.

While police suspect Arjun Mishra met with an unfortunate accident during routine maintenance, residents of the apartment want his death thoroughly probed.

Mishra, whose limbs were weakened in a paralytic attack as a child, lived with his uncle at a slum in Mango and was the solitary sentinel of Abhilasha Complex along NH-33 in Dimna Chowk for the past 10 years. The four-storey apartment houses around 20 families and no one saw the guard after 3pm on Saturday.

Naresh Jha, who lives in a second-floor flat, said they started looking for Mishra when there was a power cut around 9pm. "The security guard had the key to the generator room. So, we called his name and looked for him. When we could not find him, we called the security agency for a temporary replacement," recalled Jha.

The new guard also had to search for Mishra because he could not switch on power without the key.

"Near the elevator, the guard saw a light blinking in the pit. It was around 11.15pm and power supply had not been restored. So, the guard took the service stairway down and found Mishra's cellphone. Beside the phone, Mishra lay lifeless," Jha said.

MGM thana OC Imdad Ansari, who inspected the spot and sent the body to MGM Medical College in Dimna for autopsy, said the guard might have accidentally fallen into the five-feet-deep elevator shaft.

"Some residents said civil work took place in the pit two days ago. The guard may have gone in to water the concrete. Since he was partially handicapped, he may have slipped from the stairway. We will wait for the post-mortem report," the officer said.

But, Birendra Prasad, who lives on the second floor, pointed out that there was no water container found on the spot. "A thorough probe is needed," Prasad said, adding that Mishra was humble and helpful man.