KOCHI: A man taken into preventive custody by the Thrikkakara police on Friday night died in the early hours of Saturday. According to the police,
Baburaj (50), who is a native of Dindigul in Tamil Nadu and has been residing in Thrikkakara for the past 10 years, was taken into preventive custody to avert the commission of a cognisable offence but later developed health complications.
Baburaj was taken into custody by personnel from the Kochi city police control room around 10.40pm on Friday after local residents alerted them of a man behaving suspiciously behind the Chembumukku church in Vazhakkala. As the man failed to give a clear explanation for his presence, he was apprehended on suspicion that he could be involved in theft or other offences. He was subsequently taken to the Thrikkakara Cooperative Hospital for a medical examination and then brought to the police station where a case was registered against him under preventive custody provisions, said an officer with the Thrikkakara police.
“In police custody, Baburaj showed signs of severe discomfort in the early hours of Saturday. He was immediately shifted to the Thrikkakara Cooperative Hospital in a police vehicle, but doctors declared him dead,” the officer said.
Further, a source with Kochi city police said Baburaj was a daily-wage worker, while his family lived in Dindigul.
“The preliminary inquiry suggested that he died after experiencing severe discomfort, possibly triggered by mental stress following his arrest or other factors. A case has been registered under unnatural death and a detailed investigation is under way to ascertain further details. There were no visible injuries or fractures on the body and there is no suspicion of custodial torture,” the source said.