28-year-old dies in Jogeshwari police station, family alleges mistreatment by police

A businessman died after visiting Jogeshwari police to file a complaint. His family alleges police mistreatment; the crime branch is investigating.

MUMBAI: A 28-year-old businessman who went to the Jogeshwari police station to file a complaint against his employees on Thursday died in mysterious circumstances.

28-year-old dies in Jogeshwari police station, family alleges mistreatment by police

The man’s family has accused the police of using excessive force, claiming that he succumbed to injuries sustained during a physical altercation with the officers.

From April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2023, of the 687 people who died in police custody across the country, 81 were in Gujarat and 80 were in Maharashtra. The latest instance was the death of 23-year-old janitor Akshay Shinde, who allegedly sexually assaulted two four-year-old girls at a school in Badlapur. Shinde was killed in a “retaliatory firing” and this was the fifth custodial death in Maharashtra in the past year.

The custodial death of Deepak Jadhav on Thursday took an intense turn after his family made serious allegations against the police. Now, the crime branch will be investigating the case.

Jadhav, who was involved in a catering business, had gone to the police station to file a complaint related to a dispute with his workers. A heated argument had erupted between Deepak and his employees over unpaid wages, prompting him to seek police assistance.

Jadhav’s family members who were present at the police station, alleged that he was mistreated and threatened by the police which led to his death. “The case should be investigated thoroughly,” said one of his relatives.

Police officers denied the charge that Jadhav was mistreated or threatened, stating that he collapsed suddenly and was rushed to the hospital without any delay. Mangesh Shinde, deputy commissioner of police, Zone 10, said that the body was sent to JJ hospital for postmortem to find out the exact cause of death after they conducted an inquest in the presence of the Tehsildar.

The inquest - a procedure done to identify when, where and how a person died - was conducted and no external injury marks were found on the body. “The death is an accidental case, but we informed the Tehsildar and conducted the inquest in his presence and also video recorded the inquest, as we are treating it as custodial death,” said a police officer from Jogeshwari police station.

The investigation of the case will now be transferred to the crime branch as allegations by the family are being made that Jadhav was threatened by the police officers.