Man found dead at Delhi rehab centre; police rule out foul play, family alleges assault

A 22-year-old man was found dead at a Delhi drug de-addiction center, with police citing health issues, while his family alleges assault.

New Delhi: A 22-year-old man was found dead at a drug de-addiction centre in Delhi’s Rohini early on Saturday, with police suspecting no foul play and “deteriorated health” as the reason, while his family alleging “assault” at the centre.

Police said the body was shifted to Sanjay Gandhi hospital for a post-mortem, and a report is awaited. (HT)

The deceased, identified as Prince Kumar, a resident of Sultanpuri, northwest Delhi, is survived by his parents and a brother. According to the police, a call from the drug de-addiction centre, privately operated by an NGO, was received on Saturday around 6-7 am. “At the centre, we found him lying on his bed. His body had already started turning blue. We rushed him to a hospital where the doctor declared him dead and stated severe liver illness due to drinking and drug abuse as the possible reason for death,” an officer said.

Police said they initiated an enquiry and found that Prince was with 10-12 patients on Friday night, who all celebrated a co-occupant’s birthday inside the centre, and that around midnight, they all went to bed.

“As of now, no foul play has come to our notice. His body has no injuries or any signs of struggle,” the officer said.

However, Prince’s brother, Jai Prakash, told HT that he received a call from the centre around 6.50 am. “The centre’s staff told us to come. They said it was an emergency. Police were also there. When we reached there, they started making excuses, telling us he must have died due to liver issues. I spoke to him 10 days ago, and he sounded fine. He wanted to come home,” Prakash said.

“I saw bruises on his body. So many of them. There were bruises on his neck, hands, legs and back. The bruises show he was hit,” he alleged.

DCP (Rohini) Shashank Jaiswal said police have checked the CCTVs at the centre and in the surrounding areas.

“There’s no foul play as of now. However, an enquiry is underway,” the DCP added.

Police said the body was shifted to Sanjay Gandhi hospital for a post-mortem, and a report is awaited.

HT reached out to the centre for comment, but did not receive a response.

Earlier, in March, a 27-year-old chemical engineer was stabbed to death allegedly by a 22-year-old inmate at a drug de-addiction centre at Hiranki near Alipur in north Delhi.

Last December, a 28-year-old man, who had been admitted to a drug de-addiction centre in southwest Delhi’s Dichaon Kalan, was found dead with bruises on his body. The centre, run illegally, was shut down, and the owner was arrested.