Man being quizzed in car theft case dies after falling off 1st floor of police station

Deputy commissioner of police (south) Atul Thakur said a car theft was reported at Lodhi Colony police station on October 22 (Thursday), and that CCTV footage showed two men arriving in an autorickshaw and fleeing with the car.

A 52-year-old man who was called in for questioning regarding a case of vehicle theft died after being seriously injured while in police custody at the Lodhi Colony station on Saturday. While the police suspect the man died after falling from the first floor of the station while trying to flee, a police officer was suspended and a judicial inquiry ordered.

The two alleged thieves were arrested on Saturday. (Getty Images/iStockphoto (Representative Image))

Police said the man, Dharambir Singh, was called to the station because his auto-rickshaw had been used by two men who had stolen a car in Lodhi Colony on Thursday. A police spokesperson said officers rushed the man to the hospital after finding him unconscious in the station’s courtyard. He, however, died during treatment, the police said.

The two alleged thieves were arrested on Saturday.

Deputy commissioner of police (south) Atul Thakur said a car theft was reported at Lodhi Colony police station on October 22 (Thursday), and that CCTV footage showed two men arriving in an autorickshaw and fleeing with the car.

“Our team then traced the auto-rickshaw owner and found that his father, Dharambir, had rented out the vehicle to one Satish, a resident of Fatehpur Beri. After interrogating Dharambir on Friday, we managed to nab Satish on Saturday, who was one of the suspects spotted in the CCTV footage. On Satish’s information, we also arrested his accomplice Ghewar Ram Chowdhary, who also lives in Fatehpur Beri and is involved in at least 32 previous criminal cases,” the DCP said.

“On Saturday, when Dharambir was being questioned on the first floor of Lodhi Colony police station, ASI Vijay went to the restroom around 2:45pm. When he returned, he did not find Dharambir in the room. When he looked out of a window, he saw Dharambir on the floor in the central courtyard of the police station. He was rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where he died during treatment,” the DCP said.

Thakur said Dharambir’s family members were informed, and his body sent for a post-mortem examination.

Police said they suspect Dharambir fell off the first floor while attempting to flee the station, fearing he would be arrested.

“The matter was reported to the chief metropolitan magistrate for needful action. Disciplinary action has been initiated and ASI Vijay and has been suspended. A judicial enquiry is underway,” Thakur added.