Balasore, May 22: Family members of a 31-year-old telecom engineer working with a private company, who died in South Africa last week, sought a thorough probe into the circumstances leading to his death. They suspect foul play.

They have also urged the state government to bring his body back from South Africa.

“We suspect foul play,” said Bijay Kumar Singh, the elder brother of the deceased engineer Kiran Kumar Singh.

Singh met the district collector, the local MLA and home department officials and brought the matter to their notice.

Kiran Kumar, 31, a telecom engineer, had left for South Africa on February 15 this year after getting a job with a salary package of around Rs 24 lakh per annum. He had got married just 12 days before, his brother, who is a small-time trader, said.

“Kiran was about to return to India this week and had also booked his flight,” said Bijay, a native of Sarasankha village near Soro in Balasore district.

On May 17, Kiran’s colleague Amit Patel informed his wife Charmi that her husband had met with an accident after a tyre of his car burst.

He was admitted in an intensive care unit for treatment for injuries to his spinal cord. Two days later, Patel sent news about his death.

“Neither the company informed us about the incident nor could we contact them on phone. We suspect he has been murdered and request the government to unravel the mystery behind the death,” he said.