CHENNAI:A Sri Lankan national, who was in police custody for at least 15 hours, died within two hours after being admitted in a private hospital in the wee hours of Friday. While police maintained that cardiac arrest caused the death, his relatives have contested the version.
According to sources, K Mohan (45), residing in Medavakkam, was arrested by the Central Crime Branch on Thursday in connection with a fake passport racket. Around 4 am on Friday, Pallikaranai police informed Mohan’s live-in partner Fathima Rizana that he had died of cardiac arrest at a private hospital in Perumbakkam. While Fathima could not be spotted either in her house or at the Royapettah Government Hospital, where Mohan’s body is kept for autopsy, Mohan’s relatives have raised doubts about the police theory.
“Police said Mohan suffered three heart attacks. But he was hale and healthy,” said Sumitra, a relative. Members of a few political parties, who saw the body in the hospital, claimed there were injury marks on Mohan’s hands. “They have worn a brand new T-shirt and trousers to the body to apparently to hide the injuries. But there are severe injury marks on both his hands and legs,” said R Vanni Arasu, spokesperson of VCK.
Senior police officers, however, said Mohan was a diabetic. “He felt dizzy in the Pallikaranai station just past midnight and was taken to the hospital by the inspector at 1.40 am. He briefly recovered, but suffered massive cardiac attacks and died at 3.35 am,” an officer said. Earlier in the day, police said Mohan was found lying drunk on the road by a patrol team which admitted him in hospital, after which he died. Hence, only a case of suspicious death has been registered under section 174 of CrPC. But another officer confirmed in the evening that Mohan was in custody for at least 15 hours. A case of custodial death under section 176 A of CrPC has been registered. A magistrate enquiry will take place as mandated by the section, the officer said.
Meanwhile, Mohan’s relatives have alleged that police were forcing Fathima to give statements corroborating their version. “We are not allowed to see her. We are told that she is kept in tight police watch. Only she knows much of what happened. She is also a Sri Lankan national, but has not properly registered with police. So we suspect the police are blackmailing her,” a relative said.
The relatives further said that Mohan had come to Tamil Nadu about nine years ago and registered as a refugee. He was into export business with office at Mannady until recently. “The business was dull for the last one year, so he closed the office,” Sumitra said. But a senior officer said, “We arrested him based on a tip off from another person involved in a major fake certificate racket and seized three fake passports and 12 visas from his house at Medavakkam.” He added that once the CCB team finished their enquiries, Mohan was handed over to Pallikaranai police.
“It is evident that he was killed by brutal assault in police custody. The Pallikaranai inspector, who is already facing an attempt to murder case, must be booked under murder charges and a judicial enquiry is needed. The police are not allowing Fathima to communicate with anyone and is kept under tight watch. We heard that police are compelling her to accept Rs 5 lakh and not make this an issue,” Vanni Arasu told Express.