Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, Jan 24: The mystery is deepening over the death of  Paulose Thomas, an expert consultant for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), who was found unconscious in his apartment here on December 11 and later died.

Thomas' family members  first thought this was a case of either heart attack or suicide, but now the police says it's murder.

As team leader for Intercontinental Consultants and Technocrats (ICT), Thomas, 68, was entrusted by the NHAI to oversee the quality of work on the four/ six-laning of NH 47, from Chengapalli near Coimbatore to Walayar on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border.

The nearly Rs 1,000-crore project is being undertaken by infrastructure firm IVCRL Chengapalli Tollway Ltd on design, build, finance, operate and transfer basis for a concession period of 27 years.

Thomas's family members have alleged that his death could be connected to the project.

His son, Dr Suraj Thomas, a surgeon in London, drew parallels with the case of Satyendra Dubey, the NHAI engineer who was killed in Bihar in 2003 after he blew the whistle on irregularities in the Golden Quadrilateral highway project.