‘Upset’ Bhondsi jail inmate kills self

A magisterial inquiry, under Section 176 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), has been ordered into the incident.

Ten days after a 25-year-old man was arrested in a case of snatching, he was found dead in the washroom of district jail hospital in Bhondsi. The police said Rahul alias Moti, a native of Jalandhar, had allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from a grille in the washroom using a bedsheet.

Ten days after a 25-year-old man was arrested in a case of snatching, he was found dead in the washroom of district jail hospital in Bhondsi. (AFP)

A magisterial inquiry, under Section 176 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), has been ordered into the incident.

Police officers privy to the investigation said that the inmate was upset after learning about the death of his father from another inmate’s relative, who had come for a visit on Tuesday. Further, he was allegedly nervous about his conviction in the snatching case, the police said.

“His father was bedridden and had been ill for a long time. On April 19, he died of a kidney failure. Rahul was informed of his death by the relative of another inmate lodged in the barrack,” said a police officer.

The police said Rahul had complained of pain and restlessness on Tuesday and was referred to the hospital inside the jail. On Thursday, around 2.40am, he went to the washroom when the staff was asleep. An official went to the washroom around 4.30am and found him hanging from the washroom’s grille.

A day before he allegedly killed himself, Rahul was identified by the complainant in an identification parade. “On Wednesday morning, he was identified as the accused in the snatching case. It is possible that he was upset that he would be convicted and committed suicide. He used a bed sheet to make a noose and hung himself,” the officer said.

“He was a drug addict and could be upset due to his father’s death. He was addicted to smack and had taken to crime after mingling with the wrong crowd. We have seen the CCTV footage and do not believe that he was harassed or murdered,” his mother, Urmila, said.

Judicial magistrate Naveen Kumar said that as per the autopsy report, the incident appeared to be a suicide. “The statements of jail officials, family and the police have been recorded. The exact cause will be known once the inquiry is complete and a report is prepared,” Kumar said.