African footballer found dead on rail tracks in Chhattisgarh

An African footballer was found dead on railway tracks on the Mumbai-Howrah route in Janjgir- Champa district of Chhattisgarh, police said on Monday.

The deceased, Diomande Aboubacar, hailed from Ivory Coast, a West African country, Sub-divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Champa area Udyan Behar told PTI.

His mutilated body was recovered from the tracks near Baradwar railway station, around 200km from here, on August 9 night, he said.

According to the officer, a cellphone in his pocket helped police establish his identity.

The images of documents related to him were found in his mobile phone, he said.

Initial investigation suggests Aboubacar was granted a visa in July for playing football in India. He most probably landed in Mumbai on August 8 and was on way to join his teammates in Kolkata by a train, the officer said.

The 31-year-old played as a mid-fielder for a club based in Abidjan.

The officer said prima facie it appears Aboubacar died after falling off the train but more details would be known after investigation is completed.

Also, it was not clear by which train he was travelling, Behar said.

The police had contacted Railway officers in Howrah to enquire about recovery of any missing bags in Mumbai-Howarh trains, but so far no inputs have been received in this regard, he said.

"We have contacted his friends in Delhi and have also spoken to his brother and informed him about the incident," the SDOP said, adding so far nobody has come to claim his body, which has been kept in a morgue of Baradwar.

The district police have also informed the Ivory Coast Embassy in New Delhi, but they were yet to respond, he added.