A WILTSHIRE man who was the at the centre of a six-week manhunt died of a drug overdose, an inquest has heard.

36-year-old Kiran Pun of Amesbury, whose disappearance sparked five arrests and an investigation into his possible murder, was found dead in Aldershot on January 15, 2023.

His body was discovered crouched in an “unusual” position by a woman who was walking her dog in a wooded area in Brickfields Country Park.

Area coroner Henry Charles ruled the cause of death to be drug-related at Winchester Coroners Court, pointing to the traces of heroin and cocaine found in Mr Pun’s system.

 

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Kiran Pun (Image: Hampshire police)

Mr Hughes also said: “There’s no evidence of any third party involvement. There’s no evidence of any intention to self harm at any point and I accept the post-mortem conclusion.

“The deceased died as a result of having taken street heroin and cocaine.”

On the evening of December 1, when Mr Pun went missing, his phone messages reveal he bought £130 worth of crack cocaine and heroin from a contact with whom he communicated in Nepalese.

Originally from Nepal, Mr Pun moved with his parents – with whom he lived – to Amesbury.

He worked at the Muller yoghurt factory, where colleagues described him as a “conscientious” but “private” man.

His family was not aware of his drug use, although the inquest confirmed that he had previously used class-A drugs before he went missing.

Mr Pun made frequent visits to Aldershot on weekends, where he would meet up with his acquaintances there. Little is known about their identities or what he did in the Hampshire town.

Mr Charles concluded: “Can I express my condolences to the family on the sad loss of Kiran.”