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Assam cop suspended after murder accused allegedly dies by suicide in custody
The constable, identified as Pinku Nath of the Jakhalabandha police station, has been suspended and taken under custody for interrogation,
Silchar: An Assam police constable was suspended following the death of a murder accused in custody allegedly by suicide, officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday.
The constable, identified as Pinku Nath of the Jakhalabandha police station, has been suspended and taken under custody for interrogation, said officials, adding further actions will follow.
According to the police, one Raju Nath, a resident of Guwahati’s Pandu area, was arrested on March 22 in connection with the murder of a truck driver.
Speaking on the incident, Nagaon superintendent of police (SP) Swapneel Deka said that Raju has been accused of hijacking and killing a truck driver, a resident of Meghalaya.
Police were able to catch Raju after the owner of the truck tracked the vehicle using a GPS. “We arrested him before he moved to Jorhat,” Deka said.
Initial investigation into the matter revealed that Raju hijacked the cement-laden truck travelling from Meghalaya to Samaguri in Nagaon, killed the driver, and then concealed the body inside the truck’s box, said police.
After the arrest, Raju was produced before the court on March 24 and sent to Jakhalabandha police station after the court granted police his custody.
SP Deka said like other inmates, Raju was also provided with a woollen blanket, which he allegedly used to hang himself inside the cell. His dead body was recovered at around 4:30am on Tuesday, he said.
“During my visit, I found negligence by the police, and I suspended one constable. We have also asked the district commissioner to conduct a magistrate-level enquiry into the matter,” Deka said.
Police said that the body has been sent to a government hospital for postmortem, and they are tracing his family to inform them about the incident.
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