A partially burnt body of an unidentified person was found in an under-construction building on Nivedita Lane in Bagbazar on Saturday morning.

Eyewitnesses said the building’s caretaker was the first to spot the deceased, lying face down, near the garage on the ground floor of the building.

A heap of rubbish, including some cement chunks and bricks, lay stacked near the spot where the body was found.

“No one from the locality could identify the person. We are not sure if he was someone residing nearby or from a faraway place. The post-mortem report will throw clear indications on whether the man was murdered or he committed suicide,” a senior police officer said.

Preliminary investigation revealed no one lived in the under-construction building, and the caretaker would lock the iron grille gate and go home at night.

The building has two gates, the bigger one for cars to move in and out of the basement and the smaller one for the residents.

The building was nearing completion, and the apartment owners are set to move in by this year’s end, the officer said. “An unnatural death case has been lodged with Shyampukur police station,” he added.

Police said the deceased appeared to be in his mid 40s.

“The portions around the abdomen and the waist were totally burnt,” the officer said. “The hair was partly burnt.”