Bhubaneswar, Nov. 25: The decomposed body of a 23-year-old youth working with a private shipping company as a sailor was found last night in a hotel at the Master Canteen area.

Family members of the deceased, Bhabagrahi Das, who hailed from Kujanga area in Jagatsinghpur, suspect foul play.

Hotel employees have told the police that a 20-year-old girl had checked into the hotel with Bhabagrahi on November 21. She is missing ever since. Forensic experts have visited the room to collect fingerprints. The identity card of a college girl was recovered from the spot. However, the police were yet to confirm whether the identity card belonged to the girl who had accompanied Bhabagrahi.

The police have ruled out robbery as a motive as the belongings of the deceased, which included a laptop, were found intact in the room.

It is said that Bhabagrahi had told the hotel staff that he would be checking out on November 22. But the next day, he extended his stay by a few more days and asked the hotel staff not to disturb him.

On Thursday evening, the staff members suspected that something was wrong because a foul smell was emitting from the room. The Kharavela Nagar police, which was alerted by the hotel authorities, later broke open the door to find the body lying on the floor in a decomposed state. The body was sent to the Capital Hospital for an autopsy.

The police said from the condition of the body it seemed that the youth died two days ago. “There were no injury marks on his body, though blood was oozing out of his mouth. Bloodstains have also been found,” said the officer. The police have seized Bhabagrahi’s laptop, purse, mobile phone and a college identity card of a girl from the room.

They have also lodged an unnatural death case. After the autopsy, the body was handed over to the family members today.

Bhabagrahi’s younger brother, Kanhu Charan Das, who studies in the city, reached the hospital today along with a relative. They said Bhabagrahi was a sailor with a shipping company and was posted in Chennai. He had come home on a holiday on November 5 and he left on November 21 to go to Mumbai to meet a friend.

“He had called the previous day and asked me to meet him at the railway station. Later, he told me not to come. I had called him several times on his mobile phone, but it was switched off. I came to know about his death from my family members who were informed of the incident by the Bhubaneswar police,” said Sachidanand Sahu, the relative of the deceased. He also added that Das was a bachelor and was not involved with anyone. He came to know about a girl accompanying Bhabagrahi from the hotel staff.