British couple found dead in India hotel room

AGRA - A British couple in their 20s were found dead in their hotel room in the popular tourist city of Agra, police said Tuesday, suspecting they died from a drug overdose.

The bodies of a 29-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman were found on Tuesday morning in the Maya Hotel close to the world famous Taj Mahal, a senior police officer said.

The couple, who had checked into the hotel on Monday, did not respond to repeated calls to their room, prompting the hotel staff to call police. "There were a lot of medicines including cough syrups and anti-depressants," police superintendent Shalabh Mathur told reporters.

"There were also remains of vomiting in the room. Prima facie it appears to be a case of drug overdose," Mathur said. The bodies were taken away for a post-mortem examination, he added.

The couple had reached Agra on Saturday and their visas were valid till December 18.

The British High Commission said it was aware of reports that two of its nationals had died in Agra.