Punjab: 28-year-old jail inmate dies in Patiala police custody

Taken on police remand regarding seizure of phone, tobacco; Tripuri SHO says the inmate reported chest pain following which he was taken to one of the nearest private hospitals

A 28-year-old jail inmate died in police custody under mysterious circumstances in Patiala on Thursday. The deceased has been identified as Bunty.

Deceased Bunty was an undertrial in connection with a drug case registered in 2022.

According to information, police officials took Bunty to a private hospital run by an Ayurveda doctor before shifting him to Rajindra Hospital where doctors declared him a brought dead.

Confirming the custodial death, a senior police official said the matter was under investigation. Though the post-mortem report is not yet out, officials claimed the inmate suffered a heart attack.

Bunty was an undertrial in connection with a drug case registered in 2022. Last month, he, along with five others, had been booked by the Patiala police under Sections 52A and 42 of the Prison Act, 1894, after a mobile phone and tobacco products were allegedly recovered from his possession inside the jail. He was brought on a production warrant from the Patiala Central Jail by the Tripuri police on Wednesday for interrogation in connection with the latest case.

Sukhwinder Singh, station house officer (SHO) of Tripuri police station, said the inmate reported chest pain following which he was taken to one of the nearest private hospitals. Thereafter, he was taken to the Rajindra hospital where he died.