India, Sept. 13 -- A day before he was scheduled to pilot a flight, a Mumbai-based Air India captain, in his 40s, was found dead on Friday in a luxury hotel room in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj, police said on Saturday.

Police said the pilot had been staying at the hotel during a layover since Thursday.

According to police, an autopsy was conducted at Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday to ascertain the cause of death, and inquest proceedings under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) were initiated.

Deputy commissioner of police (southwest) Amit Goel said the hotel informed the Vasant Kunj North police station about the incident on Friday, and a police team was deployed. Personnel found the pilot unconscious and shift...